Mido is glad to be back in English football after signing for npower Championship club Barnsley.
The Egyptian striker, who has played for Tottenham and Middlesbrough and also spent time on loan with Wigan and West Ham, has put pen to paper on a two-year deal at Oakwell.
Mido hopes his arrival in south Yorkshire will be mutually beneficial.
He told Sky Sports News: “I came last week to meet the manager and I liked what he said to me, he spoke with passion about his plans here and hopefully me coming here will help them.
“But Barnsley is an important step in my career too and hopefully I can do well here.
“I think everyone knows England has the best football in world and the best league. I have played in France, Holland, Italy and Spain and the best league for the way I play is England. I still have a lot of friends here.
“The Championship is a tough competition – harder than people think – but hopefully I can help. And with some new signings here we could have a good team. It will be hard work but we could do well and get ourselves in a good position in the table.”
Mido arrives at Barnsley after ending a third spell with his boyhood club Zamalek, where he has fallen out of favour following a wage dispute.
Asked about what happened at the Egyptian outfit, the 29-year-old said: “A revolution happened and the football stopped. I knew I had to get myself into Europe.
“The club goes on of course but it is a difficult time, they had to get rid of high paid players. There is an economical problem in Egypt, sponsor money has stopped so there are big problems.”
A criticism of Mido during his previous spell in England was his fitness and work rate for the team, but Tykes boss Keith Hill is looking forward to working with the player.
“It’s a great signing for the football club and for the profile of the club,” said Hill.
“I am looking forward to working with a player of exceptional talent. There will be plenty of work to be done and that will be a reflection of what we will see on match day. We can’t wait to get going.”
