Tottenham Hotspur loan player Nabil Bentaleb has been speaking to Germany’s SportBild about his move from Spurs to Schalke, and they wanted to know a little bit more about him.
SportBild asked the midfielder if he’s more an aggressive leader, like Italian legend Gennaro Gattuso, or a playmaker, like another Italian legend Andrea Pirlo.
The Tottenham owned player explained: “Both were absolute top class. I personally love to control the game, as with Pirlo. I want to have my foot on the ball and touch it often. Many people say that I appear hard on the pitch. Outside the pitch, I am a very cool guy. In the cabin I am more calm.”
A combination of Gattuso and Pirlo would be an amazing player, and perhaps SportBild were setting Bentaleb up for a fall. The magazine are pushing the interview on social media using the ‘I love to play like Pirlo’ angle, which is sure to add further pressure to the player.
Then asked who his idol in the game is, Bentaleb explained: “Idol is a big word. But I liked the style of play of Zinedine Zidane a lot. He was a player who shook me. Currently I find Sergio Busquets and Toni Kroos super.”
Bentaleb has had a tough time since moving from Tottenham to Schalke on loan, but perhaps the tide is turning after a 4-0 victory over Borussia Monchengladbach at the weekend.
