MM spells bright future

By Simon Hart

He wears the France No10 shirt, has Algerian origins and a name with the same initials. Little wonder that 19-year-old Mourad Meghni earns comparisons with his hero, Zinedine Zidane.

France playmaker
Meghni is the playmaker in a France side that has disappointed so far in the UEFA European Under-19 Championship. Ahead of Sunday's match against Group B winners Austria, they have only a slim chance of reaching the semi-finals after taking just one point from matches against the Czech Republic (3-3) and England (0-2).

Disappointing campaign
"It's out of our hands now so we're a bit disappointed," Meghni told uefa.com. "We could have beaten the Czechs. Then we conceded a goal against England on the stroke of half-time from a set-piece - we had most of the play, we had more chances, we hit a post but didn't have much luck."

Future is bright
For Meghni, however, the future is bright. The Zidane comparisons follow from his instinctive ability to ghost past opponents and service the strikers. "I don't score so many goals, my strength is more giving the ball to the forwards and beating a man," he said.

Three years at Clairefontaine
"Since I was very young, I played on small pitches so I learnt quickly about beating a man. Also at Clairefontaine, at 13 I had a Brazilian coach there who worked a lot on my technique so I really improved there." Born in Paris to an Algerian father and Portuguese mother, from the age of 13 Meghni spent three years at the national football school at Clairefontaine before moving to Bologna FC in Italy at 16.

Learning experience
"When I was very young I signed for [AS] Cannes but they were relegated and Bologna asked me to go there so I took the opportunity. Going abroad very young is not easy but I've already gained from the experience. From the first year I was playing with the first team and in France you don't get that chance at 16 so straight away I was learning a lot of things." Last season he had his first taste of senior football in Serie A. "I played eight games and scored twice," he said.

World champion
After helping France win the FIFA World Under-17 Championship in 2001, Meghni very nearly joined Jean Tigana at Fulham FC in England last year after becoming disillusioned with life at Bologna following the departure of compatriots Mickaël Fabre and Mahamet Diagouraga. However, the intervention of coach Francesco Guidolin persuaded him he had a future at the club, where he has a contract until June 2006. "It was almost done but at the last minute the coach said he didn't want me to leave."

Areas to improve
His aim now is to "play more next season" with Bologna, where he has been used so far on the left flank. "I think this could happen as last season I showed my coach I had the quality to play in Italy and I hope he shows the same confidence in me again." Still slender, he believes he must add power to his game - "I can still gain weight, at the moment I'm still built like a boy" - and improve his speed over the first few metres.

Zidane fan
And of course, continue picking up tips from his hero. "I'm still a fan of Zidane because he plays in the same role as me, he has the same origins and often people make a comparison so it's normal that I watch him more than others."