- Zidane discovered Raphael Varane when he was 18 and convinced him to sign for Real Madrid
- Now the coach thinks that Benoit Badiashile has the potential to be the new Varane.
Zidane has proven that he’s a man of many talents. Back in 2011 Zidane was the man to recommend Varane to Real Madrid and played a part in convincing him to choose Real Madrid ahead of teams like Manchester United. A great coach and a great eye for scouting talent, Zidane now thinks that Benoit Badiashile, an up-and-coming 19-year-old, 1.92m powerful centreback from Monaco, has the potential to be the new Varane.
The French defender debuted when he was only 17 and is part of the France U-23 squad and one of the most promising defenders from France. Badiashile possesses all the qualities that Madrid is desperately seeking: a left-footed center back who can complement the right-footed starters – Ramos and Varane. The young Monaco player joins Zidane’s list of potential future defenders, which also includes Upamecano (Leipzig), Gabriel (Lille) and Mohammed Salisu (Valladolid).
Another plus factor is Badiashile’s low price tag. He has a contract with Monaco until 2024 and is valued at between €35 and €40 million, mainly because he has not yet fallen under the radar of Europe’s most powerful clubs. Manchester City were also interested in the player before deciding to go for Bournemouth’s Ake. Wolves had a €34 million offer for Badiashile rejected by Monaco, according to L’Èquipe.
Real Madrid’s priority this season will be the exit operations. Veteran players like Bale and James are some of the players that might get sold by Real Madrid this summer in order to finance a Mbappe bid in 2021.
