Liverpool target Jude Bellingham has been likened to footballing legend Zinedine Zidane amid growing transfer speculation surrounding the Borussia Dortmund teenager.
In an interview with AS via Sport Witness, former Birmingham City coach and youth advisor Andres Manzano was full of praise for the former Championship wonderkid, who came through the club’s ranks at just 16-years-old before moving on to Dortmund in 2020.
Since then, Bellingham has established himself as one of the best midfielders in world football and one of the most prized assets in the game, with Liverpool heavily linked with a move for the 19-year-old heading into the summer transfer window.
Indeed, hype around Bellingham has always been huge, yet Manzano has now added more fuel to the fire by liking the Bundesliga star to Zidane, a player many regard as the best of his generation and one of the most technically gifted to ever play the game.
Manzano said on Bellingham: “That day (he first saw him) he played as a central midfielder in a double pivot system. Maybe a physical English player like Gerrard or Lampard. But then I saw him many more times, sometimes we put him on the wing to go inside and he reminded me a lot of Zidane.
The former Birmingham figure added: “As strong as the comparison sounds, that’s how it was. He’s a tall player, with a lot of technical ability, with a lot of playmaking and organisation, a goal scorer and a good assistant. Now that he has grown up and is more mature, I reaffirm that he is very similar to Zidane.”
Bellingham comparison to Zidane isn’t as far-fetched at first glance
Few players can hold a candle to what Zidane achieved in the game or managed on the football pitch, but at 19, Bellingham could be on his way to emulating the France footballing legend if he continues on his current trajectory ahead of a return to the Premier League.
Whilst Liverpool might struggle to land the midfielder, it’s easy to see why the comparison to Zidane has been made on Bellingham, with the Dortmund star one of the silkiest players currently playing in Europe and a talent who has the potential to define his current era, much like the Juventus and Real Madrid great did before him.
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