:Himid Mao

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Himid Mao

| image = Indonesia v Tanzania 2024 – Himid Mao(cropped).jpg

| caption = Mao (center) in 2024

| full_name = Himid Mao Mkami

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1992|11|5|df=y}}

| birth_place = Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

| height = 1.77 m

| position = Midfielder

| currentclub = Ghazl El Mahalla

| clubnumber = 23

| youthyears1 = 2005–2007

| youthclubs1 = Elite Academy

| youthyears2 = 2007–2009

| youthclubs2 = Azam

| years1 = 2008–2018

| clubs1 = Azam

| years2 = 2018–2019

| clubs2 = Petrojet

| caps2 = 30

| goals2 = 1

| years3 = 2019–2021

| clubs3 = ENPPI

| caps3 = 44

| goals3 = 1

| years4 = 2021–

| clubs4 = Ghazl El Mahalla

| caps4 = 51

| goals4 = 2

| nationalyears1 = 2009–2010

| nationalteam1 = Tanzania U17

| nationalyears2 = 2013–

| nationalteam2 = Tanzania

| nationalcaps2 = 61

| nationalgoals2 = 2

| pcupdate = 00:18, 30 April 2023 (UTC)

| ntupdate = 00:18, 30 April 2023 (UTC)

}}

Himid Mao Mkami (born 5 November 1992) is a Tanzanian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Egyptian Premier League club Ghazl El Mahalla and the Tanzania national team.{{Cite web |title=Himid Mao Mkami|url=https://www.365scores.com/football/player/himid-mao-mkami-60493 |access-date=2023-04-27 |website=www.365scores.com}}

Early life

Mao was born in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. His father, Mao Mkami, was also a footballer who represented Tanzania between 1991 and 1995 and was popularly known as "Ball Dancer".{{cite web |title=Mao Mkami : Nditi ananikosha |url=http://mtibwasugar.co.tz/wp/?p=673 |website=mtibwasugar.co.tz |accessdate=24 June 2019 |language=sw |date=4 November 2016}} His primary education started at Kiwandani Primary School, Turiani, Morogoro, after which he moved to Dar es Salaam Karume and studied there until the sixth grade. He completed his primary education at Omar Ali Juma Primary School, Magomeni, Dar es Salaam and later joined Tabata Secondary School where he completed his Form 4 in 2011.{{cite news |title=Ball Dancer JR…Himid Mao Mkami |url=https://mokilimobimba.wordpress.com/2012/11/28/ball-dancer-jr-himid-mao-mkami/ |accessdate=24 June 2019 |website=mokilimobimba.wordpress.com |date=28 November 2012 |language=sw}}

Club career

Mao started with Elite Academy in 2005, and after getting a Tanzania under17 call up, he moved to Azam Academy in 2007, where he won the Uhai Cup twice in a row. In 2008, he played his first professional match against Kagera Sugar and was promoted to the senior side by 2009. During the 2013–14 season, he scored a decisive goal against Ruvu Shooting and helped Azam win the Tanzanian Premier League for the first time in their history.{{cite web |last1=Mavala |first1=Peter |title=Huyu ndiye Himid Mao Mkami |url=https://mavalapeter1.blogspot.com/2017/11/huyu-ndiye-himid-mao-mkami.html |website=mavalapeter1.blogspot.com |accessdate=24 June 2019 |language=sw |date=11 November 2017}}

After 11 years at Azam, he joined Egyptian Premier League side Petrojet in June 2018.{{cite news |last1=Soliman |first1=Seif |title=Tanzania international Himid Mao completes move to Petrojet |url=https://www.kingfut.com/2018/06/01/tanzania-himid-mao-petrojet-free/ |accessdate=24 June 2019 |agency=KingFut |date=1 June 2018}} In his first season with the club, he played in 30 out of 34 league matches.{{cite news |last1=Soliman |first1=Seif |title=Petrojet suffer first-ever relegation following Arab Contractors draw |url=https://www.kingfut.com/2019/06/04/petrojet-first-ever-relegation-arab-contractors/ |accessdate=24 June 2019 |agency=KingFut |date=4 June 2019}} Following Petrojet's relegation, Mao signed a two-year contract with ENPPI on 1 August 2019.{{cite news |last1=Issa |first1=Ramadhan |title=Himid Mao joins Shiza Kichuya's former club |url=https://tanzania.theafrican.com/sports/himid-mao-joins-shiza-kichuyas-former-club/ |accessdate=2 August 2019 |agency=The African Tanzania |date=1 August 2019}}

International career

Mao was called up to the Tanzanian under-17 squad for the 2010 Under-17 Copa Coca-Cola in South Africa. Tanzania scored 32 goals in the group stage, conceding only three, and qualified for the knockout round. They were eventually knocked out in the quarter-finals when they were defeated 1–0 by Botswana.{{cite news |last1=Mokganedi |first1=Mosah |title=Botswana shocks Tanzania to reach COPA semis |url=http://www.mmegi.bw/index.php?sid=8&aid=2850&dir=2010/June/Wednesday9 |accessdate=24 June 2019 |publisher=Mmegi |date=9 June 2010}} Mao also played for Tanzania's under-20s and under-23s.

On 15 July 2017, he scored his first-ever international goal in a 1–1 draw against Rwanda in 2018 African Nations Championship qualification.{{cite news |last1=Mureithi |first1=Edith |title=Tunawakati Mgumu mchezo wa Marudiano dhidi ya Rwanda. |url=https://www.futaa.com/article/135186/himid-mao-tunawakati-mgumu-mchezo-wa-marudiano-dhidi-ya-rwanda |accessdate=24 June 2019 |website=futaa.com |date=16 July 2017 |language=sw}}

On 13 June 2019, Mao was named in Tanzania's 23-men squad for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.{{cite news |last1=Wagih |first1=Ahmed |title=Egyptian Premier League duo called-up by Tanzania for AFCON |url=https://www.kingfut.com/2019/06/13/tanzania-announce-final-squad-afcon/ |accessdate=24 June 2019 |agency=KingFut |date=13 June 2019}}

Career statistics

=Club=

rowspan="2"\|Club !rowspan="2"\|Season !colspan="3"\|League !colspan="2"\|Cup !colspan="2"\|Continental !colspan="2"\|Other !colspan="2"\|Total
class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
Division !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals
Petrojet \|2018–19 \|Egyptian Premier League \|30	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	30	1
rowspan=3\|ENPPI \|2019–20 \|Egyptian Premier League \|22	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	22	0
2020–21 \|Egyptian Premier League \|22	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	22	1
colspan="2" \|Total !44	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	44	1
rowspan=3\|Ghazl El-Mahalla \|2021–22 \|Egyptian Premier League \|31	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	33	2
2022–23 \|Egyptian Premier League \|20	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	20	0
colspan="2" \|Total !51	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	53	2
colspan="3" \|Career total !125	4	2	0	0	0	0	0	127	4