Mainz’s Zidan earns his place in the sun

Borussia Dortmund may consider recalling Mohamed Zidan when his loan spell at Mainz ends in June after he made an impressive start to his third stint with the modest German club. The Egypt forward could not have made a better start to his Mainz adventure, notching up five goals in as many games after cutting a forlorn figure at Bundesliga champions Dortmund. He was on the verge of haunting his former club when he briefly helped Mainz restore parity in Saturday’s league game. Jakub Blaszczykowski fired Dortmund in front after 26 minutes but Zidan brought Mainz level with a trademark clinical finish in the 74th minute. He beat Dortmund keeper Roman Weidenfeller at the near post with a low shot from inside the area. The hosts eventually claimed all three points with a goal from Japanese playmaker Shinji Kagawa but Zidan had already stole the limelight. Zidan’s stint with Dortmund was marred by constant injury problems but he was warmly welcomed by the club’s fans and president Hans-Joachim Watzke, who gave the Egyptian international a bunch of flowers prior to kick-off. When he found the net on Saturday, he opted not to celebrate, out of respect for his former teammates and coach Jurgen Klopp, with whom he enjoyed two highly-successful spells at Mainz between 2005 and 2007. The 30-year-old has become the first player to score in his first five games for a new club since Stuttgart striker Fredi Bobic in 1994. Sunshine boy Zidan has been given a new lease of life after joining Mainz, scoring in consecutive games against Schalke, Hannover, Hoffenheim, Kaiserslautern and Dortmund. He is enjoying his best run since scoring 30 goals in 47 appearances with Danish side Midtjylland in the early years of his career. "I want to thank Zidan: he is a sunshine boy now. We wanted a player who wants the spotlight and wants to play the lead role,” Mainz coach Thomas Tuchel said of the 30-year-old last week. The key to Zidan’s success is the joy he found back at Mainz, for whom he scored 22 goals during his previous two spells. “I play here with great joy. I enjoy working out with his team,” he said on the club’s official website last month. Zidan may resurrect his career in Europe if he maintains his current form, having come to within a whisker of prematurely returning to Egypt last summer when widespread reports suggested Cairo giants Ahly were keen on signing him. He could also abandon any plans to join an Arabian Gulf club in the near future.