Asked to name the most difficult defender to face, Zinedine Zidane mentioned the case of Lilian Thuram.
Defenders or midfielders who played during his time often have painful memories of Zinedine Zidnae. Gennaro Gattuso has often spoken about his duels with the former playmaker. “We can’t stop Zidane! I will have to have a little luck, because the problem is that playing against Zidane is a bit like playing bonto: you see the ball, you no longer see it, you see the ball, you don’t see her more »he explained, adding another time: “Against Zidane, you only have one thing to do: pray. »
But the 1998 world champion was also marked by certain defenders. Asked about this during an interview with Lionel Messi, the former Madrilenian revealed the most formidable opponent he encountered during his career. “ The hardest… Well, not the hardest, but the most difficult. In the sense that he was very good, not in the mean sense that he wanted to hurt you. The most difficult was Paolo Maldini because he was very intelligent on the pitch. Sometimes, I was in front of him…”, he explained.
Zinedine Zidane also had a thought for Lilian Thuram, whom he worked with in the French team and faced several times in Serie A. “There was (Lilian) Thuram too. But he was tough (laughs). When you have him on your team, you’re happy.” he said.
Respect is shared. “The most technical player at Barcelona? It’s Lionel Messi. It’s not because he’s there that I’m saying it, but it’s not worth Zizou all the same. So “, he said during the emergence of Lionel Messi in 2008…
