Real Madrid and France legend Zinedine Zidane believe Paul Pogba can emulate him and become of the game’s all-time greats.
Zinedine Zidane believes Paul Pogba has the potential to be an all-time great. The midfielder was named among the 23-man longlist for this year’s Ballon d’Or and the former French captain is sure his compatriot is destined for the very pinnacle of the game. ‘Maybe we are talking about Pogba a bit too much, but if he can keep up his current development he can become one of the best players ever’, Zidane told L’Equipe. The former Real Madrid star described Pogba as a ‘combination of Claude Makelele and Patrick Vieira’.
Pogba recently signed a contract extension until 2019 with Juventus, becoming one of the club’s top paid players. The 21-year old has linked with almost every top side in Europe since arriving in Italy in 2012. Pogba signed for Juventus on a free transfer from Manchester United and subsequently accused the club, and former manager Sir Alex Ferguson, of ‘disrespect’. ‘You have to play’ Pogba said. ‘The coach told me there would be space to play, but I wasn’t playing’. While Ferguson himself showed little regret upon losing the midfielder, telling MUFC that he was ‘quite happy’ to see the player depart.
United’s loss has been Juventus’ gain and Zidane believes the youngster is already a formidable prospect, ‘What Paul is doing at the age of 21 is huge’. The Madrid B coach also said if he were coaching Pogba he would ‘use him in a slightly more advanced role’. ‘He has to keep it simple every now and then in order to become more efficient. That way he can develop from a good midfielder into a top player’. When asked if Pogba will follow his own career path, and move from Juventus to Real Madrid, Zidane said: ‘We’ll see’.
Pogba is also highly ambitious for his career. ‘My goal is to be the best player in the world’, he told FIFA’s website after collecting his award for the best young player at the World Cup. Previous winners of the award include Pelé and Franz Beckenbauer and the midfielder does not seemed fazed among such illustrious company, ‘It’s not that I don’t feel like I belong in the same category – it’s just that I want to be even better than them’. “That’s one of my goals and winning this prize allows me to take another step. But, like I said, this is just the start and I think the only obstacle that might stop me from continually reaching higher is myself’. If Pogba continues to score goals like the one below it won’t be long before the midfielder is among the best players in the world.
