شريف طارق

Dead and gone

At the age of 29, controversial defender Ibrahim Saied wastefully drove the final nail in his own coffin by terminating his contract with Ismaili.
الثلاثاء، 14 أبريل 2009 - 04:51
At the age of 29, controversial defender Ibrahim Saied wastefully drove the final nail in his own coffin by terminating his contract with Ismaili.

As he did at every club he set foot in, the troubled player fell out with several board members, his head coach and pretty much every person he dealt with during his short spell at the coastal side.

This time is different though, as Saied squandered his very last chance of redeeming himself and achieving his full potential, although his hubris probably makes him think otherwise.

The skillful footballer has been long blacklisted by Egyptian powerhouses Ahli and Zamalek, so the question that crossed my mind when he left the Dervishes was; does he have any options left?

Saied once resorted to emotional blackmail and cried crocodile tears in a T.V program to show how remorseful he was for the troubles he made at Ahli years ago.

He failed at the time to persuade the Red Devils into forgiving him, and I doubt any of the aforementioned clubs would be moved by a similar poly at any point in the future.

Receiving a solid overseas offer from a respectable outfit is far-fetched either, given that he has been unsettled over the past couple of years and his recent performances weren't exactly eye-catching.

For this reason, I couldn't help thinking the career of the once-phenomenal is now literally dead and gone.

Almost a decade ago, Saied had a promising start at Ahli, but his success was demolished by his unreasonable eccentric behavior and lack of commitment.

The same happened at Zamalek, not to mention a two-hour stay at Everton and another fruitless stint with Turkey's Rizespor.

Upon sealing a move to Ismaili early this season, he promised to ditch the bad boy image once and for all, as he became 'more mature'.

But as a matter of fact, his outlandish haircuts and tacky outfits were the only things he shrugged off this term.

Saied's infamous demeanor hasn't been slightly improved. His irresponsible acts and rude gestures at the spectators were once again his trademark.

His compulsion to release sensational statements didn't fade away either, on the contrary, it seems to be evolving.

He attacked Ahli hitman Flavio Amado after an Egyptian Premier League game, saying the Angolan, who doesn't speak Arabic, is clearly arrogant because he talks to nobody.

He also came up with a bizarre rumor that Argentine giants Boca Juniors are interested in his services, supposing the Egyptian media and people would believe such a hilarious claim.

Saied simply ignores the fact that he's in the twilight of his career. He acts as though he's a prominent star whose suitors are queuing up to offer him lucrative bids.

In real life, He's still regarded as a troublemaker who won't make a professional footballer till he hangs up his boots.

With his attitude he will end up at some minnows, and after his retirement he will only be referred to as an obvious example of how gifted Egyptian players can be so irrational to throw their talent away.