Friday, 31st May, 2013
Liverpool midfielder Joe Allen has explained that he grew up watching France great Zinedine Zidane, and the former Real Madrid star has always been an inspiration for him.
The Welsh international followed manager Brendan Rodgers in leaving Swansea for Liverpool last summer. This season he made 37 appearances for the Merseyside giants.
The 23-year-old, who was also in the squad for Great Britain at the London 2012 Olympics, has looked back on his debut season with the Merseyside giants and has insisted Swansea will always be his first love since he started his career there.
“It was Swansea City [my first love] because I played for them [from 1999 as a youth player]”, he told Liverpool’s official site.
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On being asked who his inspiration was, he answered: “I loved Zinedine Zidane. Any time his teams were playing on TV I tried to watch. He was amazing.”
A former World Cup winner with France in 1998, Zidane is poised to be confirmed as the sporting director of Real Madrid this summer.
Meanwhile, Allen also revealed that his current favourite players include Barcelona playmakers Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta.
“It’s probably a standard answer from a lot of people [about who their favourite players are], but I’d have to go for either Xavi or Iniesta. They are the best at what they do."
Allen, on his part, has also been rated highly for his keen eye for passing and composure on the ball.
His first goal in a Liverpool jersey came on 27th January when he struck a powerful deflected volley against Oldham Athletic in a FA Cup clash.
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