Zaid Bafdili likened to European champion: Sporting midfielder making waves | OneFootball

David Penneman believes that Zaid Bafdili has many similarities with Marco Verratti, European Champion with Italy. The young Belgian prodigy signed with Sporting in the summer, at a time when Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund, and Chelsea were keeping a close eye on his progress.

"Zaid has long been considered one of the most talented midfielders of his age group, born in 2007, as he combines his running ability with technique and ball recovery. He went through Anderlecht and Mechelen before moving to Genk, and the fact that Sporting, a club with one of the most respected academies in Europe, chose to sign him at just 17 years old is a clear sign of his reputation as a top talent," said Belgium’s U-19 coach to the newspaper A Bola.

Penneman describes Zaid Bafdili as "an absolute and energetic winner both on and off the field," recalling their connection: "I have been following and working with Zaid for four years. The last year was not easy for him due to complications with his transfer. In fact, it was a very difficult period, because he is an energetic boy and, suddenly, he wasn’t getting any playing time. He was sidelined. During that period, we kept in frequent contact because I wanted to support him, and we also invited him to join us during the March international break because he is an important link within the group, but also to give him the necessary support."

Asked to describe Bafdili, Penneman did not hesitate: "His running ability, ball recovery, offensive runs, and intensity are what characterize him—perhaps that’s why he resembles Verratti so much [the Italian midfielder who currently plays for Al-Duhail in Saudi Arabia]. As for what he needs to improve, as with all young players at that age, it’s about managing that running ability and scoring goals after his good runs into the box."

Sporting, you will be surrounded by winners, embrace the intensity every day in training, and add your own as well. Work on your body, push your limits, and keep playing with the same attitude that brought you this far".

Watch some highlights of Bafdili:

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.