In the summer of 1996, Zinedine Zidane left the Girondins de Bordeaux to join Juventus. And yet, the 98 Ballon d'Or could have migrated to England near Newcastle. According to Barry Silkman, a former player turned agent, he did everything possible to offer Zinedine Zidane to the Magpies, in vain.
Very efficient in the colors of Girondins de Bordeaux (1992-1996), Zinedine Zidane seduced the Juventus. So much so that the Old Lady paid around €3.5 million to offer its services in the summer of 1996. However, Zinedine Zidane could have never worn the colors of Bianconeri. Indeed, Newcastle could have beaten the Piedmontese club, but they did not seize this opportunity.
“He could sign Zidane for €1.42 million”
During an interview given to The Sun, Barry Silkman – former player turned agent – admitted that he had tried to send Zinedine Zidane to Newcastlewithout success. “I was alerted to the talent of a 24-year-old attacking midfielder in Bordeaux, and I went to see him. His name was Zinedine Zidane, and it took me about five minutes to decide that this guy was going to be someone very special. I had brought a number of good players to Newcastle United during Kevin Keegan's reign, and every one of them was a success, so Zidane seemed like the ideal candidate for a Keegan team. It was January 7, 1996, and I told Kevin that he could sign Zidane for €1.42 million, it was a bargain. I begged Kevin to sign him, but in the end he told me his head scout didn't think he was good enough, and years later Kevin told me he would have should have listened to me rather than his recruiter”he admitted, before adding a layer.
'His chief recruiter thought he wasn't good enough'
“Zidane eventually signed for Juventus and the rest is history. More than 20 years later, Kevin told me that I was the best agent he had ever met, the only good one in his opinion. Beautiful words from a high-ranking man, with whom I have always gotten along very well over the years. I wish I had kept the fax sent to me from Newcastle United, in which the chief scout said: “Silky has grossly overestimated the player. At best he is good enough for Wolves, who are currently last in the championship. I think Zidane was slightly better than the players on the struggling Wolves team! »the conclusion Barry Silkman. Eventually, Zinedine Zidane will never have evolved into Premier League during his career.
