“I'm sorry, but he was…

By Elsa Girard-Basset | Web journalist

An absolute legend of world football, Zinédine Zidane left a lasting impression on everyone who played with or against him. But while a thorny debate has been put on the table in recent months, Frank Leboeuf, who has obviously rubbed shoulders with Zizou in blue, wanted to put the “i”s back on track. Even if it means contradicting great football figures.

The impact left by Zinédine Zidane on the world of football is such that it is difficult to find an answer to this question: does the 1998 world champion have an heir in current football, almost 20 years after his retirement ? The subject is stirring debates, and one name has particularly come up in the first half of 2024: Jude Bellingham.

Certainly less in shape this season, the Briton had a breathtaking first half, punctuated by a victory in the Champions League. Enough to give rise to the famous comparison, to which Arsène Wenger quickly reacted in laudatory terms:

Zidane arrived in Madrid at the age of 29, while this boy is 20 and that's a big difference. Bellingham is a mix of Zidane and a physically powerful player… He's a physical Zidane.

Frank Leboeuf calms things down on “Zidanesque” comparisons

But if the former Arsenal boss is quick to draw a parallel between the two men, this is not the case for Frank Leboeuf. Opponent of Zidane in France and in Europe, but above all teammate of the maestro in the tricolor jersey, the former Chelsea player wanted to calm things down when the comparison between Bellingham and “ZZ” was proposed to him. In his eyes, technically, there is a class of deviation:

In terms of maturity for his age, I would say yes, you can see a comparison. But in terms of technique… I'm sorry, but Zidane was incredible. I think Jude is a little faster. Zizou wasn't that fast, but he was so smart. For me, they are not the same players. Their body type is not the same, neither is the technique. But yes, the talent is there in both.

So who is right and who is wrong? Hard to say. The best thing is perhaps to ask the opinion of Carlo Ancelotti, who obviously knows Zidane very well, and who has now coached Bellingham at Real Madrid for over a year. And suffice to say that the Italian tactician's opinion is closer to that of Wenger than that of Leboeuf:

It's difficult to compare two different generations, but what seems different to me is that Bellingham projects more into the box while Zidane has greater individual quality. I find Jude different in his ability to attack and get into the penalty area. Zidane didn't have that. The difference is there, but Bellingham is a modern player. He plays in an era that wants players to be physically strong, and play more vertically.

Say that Jude Bellingham is an excellent football player? No problem. Already put him in the ranks of Zinédine Zidane? Frank Leboeuf disagrees. For the ex-Blues defender, Zizou has accomplished much more than his English counterpart at this stage, and it is important not to give in to the culture of the moment. It is clear that the start of the season proves him right.