scored his first goal in a 2–1 home win against Standard Liège. His European debut came on 12 September 2000, where Gent suffered a 6–0 home defeat to Ajax. He became a fan favourite, and was praised by the Belgian press at the end of the season. Mido went on to win the Belgian Ebony Shoe in 2001 as the best African player in the Belgian First Division, as well as being named the Belgian "Discovery of the Year". As he attracted interest from major clubs both in Belgium and abroad, he ended the season with a powerful performance against Royal Antwerp, scoring one of Gent's goals in a 3–1 win and setting up the other two. Two years later, Remy described the match to an Egyptian journalist, saying that "Mido did everything." He finished the season with 11 goals from 21 matches, as Gent finished fifth, earning them a spot in the following season of the UEFA Intertoto Cup. Ajax After his success in Belgium with Gent, Mido signed a five-year contract with Eredivisie team Ajax in 2001. He suffered a concussion during their UEFA Cup match with Limassol, after colliding with a defender. He made his return for the team against Heerenveen, a match which Ajax lost 5–1. However, he was sent off against Twente, after kicking Spira Grujić whilst trying to beat him to the ball, for which he was later given a three-match ban. He returned for Ajax against Vitesse, coming on as a substitute in the 75th minute. He failed to be selected for the substitutes bench against Feyenoord in March 2002, which was due to a minor clash with manager Ronald Koeman, and Mido left for a short vacation in Cairo. Mido scored in Ajax's victory over Utrecht in the KNVB Cup final, meaning he ended the 2001–02 season with the Dutch League and Cup double. He played for only 32 minutes against Groningen, after a display which lacked creativity. He said afterwards he was tired and was carrying a slight injury during the match, but Koeman criticised Mido saying he was not giving everything. He revealed in September 2002 that he wanted to leave Ajax in the transfer window in late December. However, Mido soon apologised to Koeman and Leo Beenhakker regarding the transfer comments, saying he was "irresponsible" and "unthoughtful". He was handed a fine and suspended from Ajax's game against Olympique