German great Lothar Matthaus has lavished rich praise for Chelsea’s Kai Havertz who has been compared to French icon Zinedine Zidane by the World Cup-winning midfield legend.
Havertz has been a star turn for Germany at the ongoing UEFA European Championships and was in brilliant form in his side’s comeback win over Portugal which finished in a 4-2 affair.
The Chelsea playmaker, who arrived at the Bridge only last summer in a big-money transfer, enjoyed a superb conclusion to his debut campaign by netting the winning goal in the Champions League win over Manchester City in Porto.
Matthaus, while speaking to The Kicker, has drawn comparisons between Havertz’s skill and ability to that of Zidane who is highly regarded as one of the best players to have graced the football pitch.
The Germany icon, however, added that the Blues star playmaker has a long way to go in terms of his goalscoring routine to be acknowledged amongst the best in the business.
“I compare him with Zinedine Zidane in terms of skills, technique, vision and anticipating a situation.”
“Zidane did not seem fast, but that was when he held the ball. Havertz can do that too.”
“He could score more goals and improve in short movements with special training. He has a good eye, good ball control, good positional play, good technique.
“In addition, Havertz plays intelligently and uses his body well. Havertz is on his way, but nuances will determine whether he gets to the top, whether he becomes an excellent player or just a very good one.”
