It’s not easy being thrust into the footballing limelight at a young age and that at a club like Real Madrid, with all its history, pressure, might and expectations.
Well, Liverpool transfer target, Marco Asensio, was in that position during a golden period for the Spanish giants when they just couldn’t stop winning Champions League after Champions League.
The legendary Zinedine Zidane was in the Madrid dugout at the time, with then-21-year-old Asensio showcasing the dynamite he had in his left foot.
The Spain international was being bigged up so much that he once shared in 2017 that Zidane himself told him that his left foot was the best he had seen since Messi…yes, the one that is now enjoying his retirement at PSG.
It’s quite the statement and quite the compliment for the now-26-year-old, who probably hasn’t progressed as he would have liked in Spain’s capital.
“Zidane told me that since Messi, he had never seen a left foot like mine,” said Asensio, as quoted by FourFourTwo in 2017.
“I was a little impressed because Messi is a piece of a footballer.”
LIVERPOOL KEEN ON ASENSIO
Sadio Mane is headed for the Anfield exit door this summer, with the Merseyside club wasting no time in replacing him with Darwin Nunez.
That’s one piece of Liverpool’s previously lethal front three that will be departing, but could another left-footed superstar join Mane out of the exit door?
Mo Salah will stay at Liverpool beyond this summer, but his contract is due to expire next summer, yet there is still no sign that he will put pen-to-paper on a new deal.
Either way, that has resulted in several names being thrown about to join the Reds this summer, including Asensio, who Jurgen Klopp is a fan of, according to Spanish outlet AS.
Asensio struck ten La Liga goals for Carlo Ancelotti’s side last season, as they regained the title from their bitter neighbours, Atletico, not forgetting their Champions League win over Liverpool in Paris.
Could a player like Asensio fit Liverpool’s forward line? 100%. Klopp has proven time and time again that he can transform players to the very next level and beyond.
But, are there better fish in the sea than Asensio? 100%, with the likes of Brazil superstar, Raphinha and West Ham United’s Jarrod Bowen other names on Liverpool’s transfer wishlist.
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