Liverpool once signed a midfielder worth £4m named Bruno Cheyrou, whom then manager Gerard Houllier considered similar to Zinedine Zidane.
The Reds have had many great players gracing their side with their appearance in the Red strip. But there have also been players who, despite showing much promise, did not deliver up to their standards.
The list can continue, but one of those players was retired French midfielder Bruno Cheyrou. Former Liverpool coach Gerard Houllier even compared him with his fellow Frenchman Zinedine Zidane by saying,
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“Bruno has got great skill, good vision and an eye for the pass. I don’t make comparisons with Zidane lightly and I believe he can become an important player for Liverpool.
He has the same kind of touch and style that Zidane has. There’s a lot of similarities between the two when they’re on the ball.”
However, he could never quite become the player for the Merseysiders as Zidane was for Real Madrid.
What happened to Bruno Cheyrou at Liverpool?
The midfielder was a Houllier signing who arrived in the summer of 2002. Cheyrou’s debut against Lazio in the pre-season friendly was promising as he ran the whole game for the 73 minutes he was on the pitch.
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Although the match ended in a disappointing 1-0 loss for LFC, his performance caught many eyes. However, in that season, neither did he score a single goal nor did he assist once.
In the 2003-04 season, the Frenchman scored only once, appearing in 29 games across all competitions. This would be his last season at Anfield as Rafael Benitez took charge as the new manager.
The following season, Cheyrou moved to Olympique Marseille on a season-long loan. And the season after, he found French side Bordeaux as his season-long team. Soon, in the summer of 2006, Liverpool sold the midfielder to Stade Rennais for a mere €1m (stats via Transfermarkt).
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These are the times which make us realize that the life of a professional athlete is very uncertain. Bad performances could lead to career-ending moments. Still, the love and passion for the game keep so many players alive.
An ardent football fan and a proud Red. I take immense pleasure in analyzing the intricacies of the game.
