Pogba walking in the shadow of Zidane
Paul Pogba's career is taking a very similar trajectory to that of Zidane Zidane. We look at five things the pair share in common.
Origins
The first link, of course, is that they were both born and raised in France and the cultural and language connections would certainly help to facilitate their relationship were they to work together at Real Madrid. Aside from sharing a mother tongue and cultural affinity, not to mention Spanish as a second language, the pair also share a deep mutual respect for each other.
“Real Madrid is a dream for everyone. It is one of the biggest clubs in the world. Zidane is the manager there. It is a dream for every child and every player," said Pogba shortly after Zizou returned to the Real Madrid bench.
Zidane returned the compliment when asked about the 26-year-old midfielder. “I like Pogba a lot. It’s nothing new I know him personally. He’s a different kind of player, he brings so much and there are few players who bring as much as he does. He’s a midfielder who knows how to defend and how to attack. He knows how to do everything on the pitch,” said the Real Madrid coach.
Juventus
Juventus was the club that catapulted both players to superstar status. Zidane arrived in Turin in 1996 and left in 2001 as a bonafide icon, with 212 games and six titles under his belt. Pogba signed for Juve in 2012. And after playing 178 matches and winning nine titles with The Old Lady, the Frenchman had already confirmed himself as a club legend, becoming one of the hottest properties in world football.
World Champions
Zidane landed at Madrid in 2001, after having won the World Cup with France three summers earlier at France 98, where he was the most important figure in Aimé Etienne Jacquet’s team. Twenty years on, Pogba also played a prominent role in helping Les Bleus lift their second World Cup title at Russia 2018.
Galácticos worth breaking the bank for
In 2001, Florentino Perez broke all records to make Zidane the club and the world’s most expensive signing ever at the time, paying Juventus 72 million euros for his signature. If Real Madrid are to make Pogba their latest Galáctico signing, he will likely cost upwards of 150 million euros, which would make him the most costly acquisition in Madrid’s history.
Adidas poster boys
Zidane was an icon of for sponsors Adidas in his playing days and the company still manufactures and markets football boots in his name to this day. Likewise, Pogba is one of the brand’s biggest poster boys and signed a 10-year deal with the apparel maker in 2016 worth 40 million euros.