Arsenal

Let Karim be Karim

‘Let Bartlett be Bartlett. Instead of comparing Joshua Bartlett to previous Presidents, why not let Bartlett be judged on his own Presidency’.

These are the words of Sam, the character played by Rob Lowe in the hit US show, the West Wing. The episode looks at decisions made by the fictional President Bartlett, and whilst being closely scrutinized in his every decision, Sam defends the President in the face of criticism, and instead argues that the President is his own man, and should be allowed to be judged on this and only this, and not, on comparisons to former Presidents.

I recently read an article in a top European football magazine that claimed Karim Benzema, the young Lyons forward, is the ‘next Zidane’. Throughout the years, and those who follow European and world football closely will no doubt know, comparisons between footballers of the present with those of the past should be taken with a pinch of salt.

There is no doubt, based on the last three years, that Benzema is a potentially world class player. Just before Christmas last year, he had scored 11 goals in 11 games. His characteristics are reminiscent of Henry, Trézéguet and Anelka in one. The pace and class of Henry, the strength in the air of Trézéguet, and the finishing and off the ball movement of Anelka. These are Benzema’s current characteristics. So why is he touted as the next Zinedine Zidane?

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Taking a young player and then comparing them to someone as great as Zidane is often a troublesome task. Having just turned twenty, Benzema hasn’t yet played five years at senior level, but we are already faced with numerous comparisons, most frequently with Zizou. Comparing is troublesome in two regards: firstly, one tends to over-hype the player; secondly, in over-hyping the player, you take away the actual qualities for which he should be being praised.

Allow me to demonstrate. Take Diego Maradona. The great, fantastic, twinkle-toed Argentinean has had his name associated with so many players in the last 10 years that it is as if ‘El Diego’ has been reincarnated ten times. After USA ‘94, Maradona’s career ended, with his last match against Greece in a tournament that had made him so famous after his two goals against England in Mexico eight years prior. The genius of Maradona in that match lingers as a beautiful memory, and one can still recall Peter Reid and Terry Butcher having rings run around them by the devious little Argentine. But after USA ‘94, Argentine football went through a crisis. Who would replace the left-footed master? How would Argentine football deal with the loss of the man that would juggle oranges and apples as if it were a ball during keepy-uppy?

A host of names have been groomed as the ‘new Maradona’. In 1996, a young, stocky but slight playmaker called Ariel Ortega came onto the scene. However, Ortega just fizzled out. Next came three young pretenders; Pablo Aimar, Javier Saviola and Juan Roman Riquelme. All three moved to Spain, and of the three, only Aimar had any success, when at Valencia, winning two La Liga titles. Riquelme and Saviola had terrible experiences at Barcelona. Saviola was loaned out to numerous clubs during his time, and was only this season permanently dispersed with to Real Madrid, a club where he has barely played. Riquelme, despite his intermittent brilliance in the 2006 World Cup and the preceding season in Villarreal’s run to the Champions League semi-finals, had troubles too. In the last two years, Riquelme has demonstrated his breath-taking ability but the difference is that Maradona showed his capabilities consistently throughout his career while Riquelme bloomed late and now finds himself back in Argentina.

Despite Aimar being so close to fulfilling the ‘new Maradona’ iconic status, his career did, like Ortega, Saviola and Riquelme’s, fizzle out. This is where the problem lies. Players cannot be compared or asked to fill a void left by ‘greatness’, because the greatness itself is so unique.

More recently though, the closest comparison to Maradona is the young protégé Lionel Messi. In 2004, at a Fifa gala, Maradona himself earmarked a certain Carlos Tévez as his heir. Then only a year later we have Messi as the prodigal son. Messi has so many similar characteristics to ‘El Diego’; short, left-footed, close control, crafty off the ball play, dribbler in tight spaces. He even tried his own ‘hand of god’ and eerily scored an almost identical goal to Maradona’s sensational second against England in Mexico.

Messi and Maradona, these two similar footballers in nearly everything they do must, however, be separated. If we continue to comparing the two, there is a risk that neither of these footballers is being appropriately respected. Both players should in fact be remembered for their individual characteristics and achievements of their own era. Of course, comparisons will continue, and at 20, Messi already has someone compared to him in the form of Argentine Sergio Agüero, who plays for Athletic Madrid. It will surely never stop.

So what should the world make of the new Zidane? In comparing Benzema to Zizou, not only are the specific characteristics of what Benzema is about being overlooked, but the Lyons man is being put forward as a solution to the fact France have lost one of their and football’s greatest ever players.

Not one player will have the same guile, balance and delicacy of Zidane. The Frenchman was unique because his characteristics were so different to any other footballer. Observing Zidane during a match was like watching ballet on the football pitch; his soft touch on the ball, the manner in which he danced through challenges using excellent skill and exquisite technique to glide across the green grass. Even the simplest things were made beautiful by Zidane, and time just never seemed a problem. Zidane was the master at creating time in a game that flows at top speed.

Benzema’s 16 goals in 24 games should be celebrated as his personal achievement. Any comparisons between Zidane and Benzema seem extremely far-fetched. Benzema is tall, pacy, skilful and turning into a natural goalscorer. Zidane on the other hand was elegant, exquisitely gifted in technical ability, a playmaker, and above all, not a great goalscorer per se, but instead, a scorer of great goals.

This is not to say that Benzema will not be a special player who could perhaps even emulate the French hero of Zidane. He is already a prodigious talent and has demonstrated his immense ability for Lyons this campaign. Consequently, there is great interest from the continent’s top clubs who have been observing this remarkable talent.

There is interest from Arsène Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson and along with Arsenal and Manchester United, Benzema is being courted by Real Madrid and Barcelona who have both made enquiries.

Instead of facing the same old problem that we have with the title of the ‘new Maradona’ (regardless if it is Maradona who always names a new protégé every year), football pundits and football fans alike need to realise that the sport is changing. Goalkeepers now act as sweepers, defenders are more technically astute, midfielders are more versatile, and strikers are a dying breed. Instead, as Ian Rush has pointed out, the old school centre-forward is replaced by the three-pronged roaming attacker, who can play on the wing, through the middle, and rotate between midfielders. Manchester United and Roma demonstrate this most aptly.

Football is changing, both on the pitch and off it. At least on the pitch, it’s in a very progressive way, and with every superstar who comes onto the horizon, they are more likely to have something new in their game because of the way football has developed. No one can replace Zidane, Cryuff and Maradona. No one is trying to. They are greats of their time, masters of their abilities, and teachers of the future - but comparisons with the youth of today are unfair.

We are blessed. Footballers are naturally evolving whilst the games evolves itself. This being the case, let’s enjoy Karim Benzema and the class he espouses. Let’s let Karim be Karim, and no one else.

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Can Benzema cut it at Man Utd or is his flair best suited to Arsenal?
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