Zidane has Bangladesh's back
There are more forgiving names for a young footballer than Zidane. Bangladesh's Zidane Yousuf has inherited a name associated with elegance, composure and rather high standards. So far, he seems to be taking the pressure rather well.
Four days after turning 19, Zidane made his first full appearance for the senior national team on Monday and looked remarkably assured in the left-centre-back role. For a teenager beginning his international career, there was little evidence of the usual need to announce himself.
He simply went about his business. There was something Rolls-Royce-like about the way he operated: smooth, unhurried, and seemingly in control. That was particularly striking because Bangladesh looked a different team from the opening minute against Singapore.
Four changes to the starting eleven after the 3-0 defeat to Malaysia helped explain the shift. Zidane replaced Shakil Ahad Topu, Jamal Bhuyan came in for Sohel Rana, and two further adjustments were made in attack. And voila! Bangladesh were a completely different team to watch. The result remained a 1-0 defeat, but the performance had a spring to it. Bangladesh moved the ball with greater clarity, order, and confidence, particularly from the back.
At the heart of that change was Zidane. His partnership with Tariq Kazi gave Bangladesh a calm platform from which to build. Goalkeeper Mehedi Hasan Srabon had more passing options, Hamza Choudhury could drop deeper and operate almost as a libero, while the full-backs, particularly Zayyan Ahmed, could push forward with greater confidence.
It is an interesting quality in a centre-back: making the players around him look as though they have been given a little more time than they actually have.
The best defenders often make spectacular tackles look unnecessary. Their reading of the game puts them in the right place before danger becomes urgent. Zidane showed flashes of that quality, reading situations early, closing spaces efficiently and knowing when to step forward or hold his position.
At 6ft 4in, he also has the physical profile Bangladesh have often lacked at the back. Add his technical ability and composure on the ball, and there is plenty for the new Bangladesh head coach Thomas Dooley to work with.
Born in London to a Bangladeshi father and Mexican mother, Zidane is eligible for three countries and developed through English non-League football, including a spell with Walton & Hersham. He had already caught Dooley's eye during Bangladesh's AFC U-20 Asian Cup qualifying campaign in Uzbekistan, where his positioning, tackling and technical maturity stood out despite the team's difficult tournament.
Dooley had also made the terms of that opportunity clear: Zidane would have to prove himself against the defenders already in the squad.
The Singapore performance was a convincing first answer. Indonesia will be the next question. Bangladesh have already been eliminated, so the meeting with the hosts is another examination of the players Dooley is considering for November's SAFF Championship.
With Topu Barman absent from this tournament and Bishwanath Ghosh also injured, Bangladesh came into the FIFA ASEAN Cup with Tariq Kazi as the most established central defensive option and several others yet to convince at this level.
When Topu Barman returns, Dooley would have three credible centre-backs in Kazi, Barman and Zidane. There is another possibility, too. Zidane's reading of the game and comfort in midfield could eventually make him useful in a three-man defence, or even as a defensive midfielder, allowing Hamza to operate higher up the pitch.
For now, that remains speculative. Zidane has only just begun his senior international journey, and one assured performance is not a career plan. But it is a promising beginning.
The name naturally carries expectations because of Zinedine Zidane, one of football's greats. Bangladesh's Zidane has a much simpler task: establish himself as a defender capable of serving his country for years. He already has a head start on his famous namesake, who made his France debut at 22, but where this Zidane's journey goes remains to be seen.
After the Singapore match, though, Bangladesh have reason to enjoy the possibility.
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