New Zidane; Reported Leeds target equalled Michel Platini's 35-year-old record

Marcelo Bielsa’s Championship table-toppers could sign PSG wonderkid Adil Aouchiche to Elland Road – is the Leeds United target the new Zidane?

Michel Platini embrasse la coupe après la victoire de la France contre l'Espagne en finale de l'Euro 84 le 27 juin 1984 à Paris, France.

Last summer, Michel Platini loosened his vice-like grip one of the most impressive personal records in world football. To whom you may ask?

Well, not a Cristiano Ronaldo, nor a Lionel Messi or even an Eden Hazard or Sadio Mane. Instead, it was a fresh-faced, floppy-haired 16-year-old who scribed his name into the history books. And if that went under the radar, Adil Aouchiche’s dazzling potential certainly hasn’t.

This Paris-born superkid is the gem of at the heart of PSG’s treasure-trove of young talent, with records tumbling like jenga blocks on a bouncy castle.

With a remarkable nine strikes in just four matches at the U17 European Championships last summer, Aouchiche equalled Platini’s record for the most goals scored in a single UEFA tournament – almost four decades after the legendary Frenchman’s historic Euro 1984 campaign.

Just weeks later, Zinedine Zidane’s heir apparent became the youngest player to ever start a Ligue 1 match for PSG.

And while the stage wasn’t quite the same, the numbers speak volumes about the extraordinary, potentially generational, talent of a midfielder who once hit the back of the net 29 times from the centre of the park in a single season for PSG’s reserves.

So no wonder Les Parisiens are doing all they can to ensure Aouchiche doesn’t follow in the footsteps of Kinsley Coman, Boubakary Soumare, Matteo Guendouzi and co by departing the Parc des Princes at an early age.

Adil Aouchiche warms up during a Paris Saint-Germain training session at Ooredoo Center on February 13, 2020 in Paris, France.

According to 90Min, the Ligue 1 champions are desperate to extend a contract which expires in July before sending Aouchiche on loan to Leeds United for the season.

The likes of Manchester City, Brighton and co have trusted Marcelo Bielsa to turn their talented youngsters into match-winning talents in recent months. And, considering the stunning transformations made by Jack Harrison and Ben White at Elland Road, the prospect of Aouchiche honing his talents under Bielsa is a mouth-watering one for fans and coaches on both sides of the Channel.

Adil Aouchiche of