Jeremy Menez

In France there is a contagious disease called “petit Zidane.” It is one that can be caught without desire. Whenever a young player of French nationality shows some talent on the soccer field, that player is automatically labeled as the next Zinedine Zidane.

Jeremy Menez is a player who cannot exactly be compared to Zidane, because his style of playing is so different. The young player has the vision that the master carried, but outside of that there isn’t that much in common.

Menez is a player all in his own right. He has been quietly getting better year after year. It is a testament to his talents that AS Monaco started performing poorly when he was snapped up by AS Roma over the summer. Since his days at Sochaux, he has been wowing fans with his skills and smart play.

In a squad full of talent in Rome, Menez has been able to carve a niche for himself. He may not be able to dispose of Francesco Totti in the starting lineup yet, but it will not be long before the French playmaker makes his mark on the Italian Serie A and the European stage. He is one of the players being carefully watched by French national team coach Raymond Domenech for that pivotal playmaker role behind the front two strikers.