Forgotten player hailed as Zinedine Zidane's 'heir' failed to live up to expectations despite being football 'genius'

It was a goal that brought all corners of the Stade Chaban Delmas to its feet.

On January 11, 2009, a young Yoann Gourcuff juggled the ball from side to side on the edge of the penalty area before twisting and turning through four Paris Saint-Germain defenders. It was a work of art. Some might say it was Zidane-esque.

Then, in a moment of brilliance, the Frenchman found the top corner with a magnificent toe-poke. And toe-pokes aren't supposed to be magnificent or brilliant.

French publication L'Equipe described Gourcuff as "Le successeur" – a nod to the great Zinedine – and soon after, a headline from The Independent read: "Yoann Gourcuff: The new Zidane?"

"Sometimes a single goal is all it takes to announce the arrival of a special talent," said author John Lichfield.

"The young Gourcuff is more like Zidane than the other pretenders to the Zizou succession. He has precisely Zidane's build and height (6ft 1in). He resembles Zidane uncannily in many of his actions on the field."

Christophe Dugarry, a former France international, also made headlines when he said: “I felt ill when Zidane retired; watching Gourcuff has cured me."

So what happened? At the time, Gourcuff was on a season-long loan at Bordeaux from AC Milan. As part of the deal, they gave the Ligue 1 side an option to sign him at the end of the season for €15 million.

Why would you include such a clause, given his undisputed talent? It's an interesting question, especially after the Italian giants beat a host of top European clubs to sign the highly-rated Gourcuff in 2006.

In the end, the Frenchman would make just 36 league appearances across a two-season spell in Milan before joining Bordeaux on a permanent deal, bringing more questions than answers.

Gourcuff, Ronaldo and Serginho at AC Milan. Image credit: Getty

Then, in a now-infamous interview with L'Equipe, AC Milan legend Paolo Maldini made some rather damning claims about his former teammate.

“Gourcuff in Milan was wrong 100 per cent,” he told the French publication in 2010. “His problem here was his behaviour. He did not show an intelligent way to manage himself. When he played here, he did not want to make himself available to the squad.

“He did not start studying Italian immediately. He did not work. He was not always on time. It happened a lot. [There are] things he cannot tell. But he knows what he did.”

Maldini added: “When he came into the game, he did not give himself fully. Less talented players have earned the respect of Milan because they gave everything. Him, he did not. And he knows it. After a while he became foreign to the group.”

Gourcuff did not respond to the comments, but many defended him.

Alou Diarra, his former teammate at Bordeaux, later claimed Gourcuff needed to be "loved" at a club to thrive.

"To be at his best, he needed an environment where he felt at home, confident and loved," Diarra said. "He had that in Bordeaux. He had found an extraordinary and protective framework and a balance in life."

Gourcuff during his spell at Lyon. Image credit: Getty

Unfortunately, the man who was compared to Zinedine Zidane on numerous occasions never quite lived up to expectations.

Bordeaux made a deal permanent in 2009 and after beating the likes of Thierry Henry and Franck Ribery to the French Player of the Year trophy in November that year, a number of clubs expressed an interest, including fellow Ligue 1 side Lyon.

Gourcuff would go on to sign for Lyon in 2010 for around €22 million but the midfielder was plagued by injuries and a loss in form.

In fact, just six months after joining, he admitted to being "disappointed and frustrated" with his performances and stated he "expected a lot more" from himself.

A deal to join former side Rennes was thrashed out in 2015 but once again, he struggled with injuries and erratic form. Three years later, injury restricted him to just eight appearances for the final club of his career, Dijon.

With 31 caps for France to his name, the former AC Milan and Lyon man retired in October 2020 at the age of 33.

"Yoann Gourcuff had the talent to play for Real Madrid and the mentality to play for Lorient," said former Rennes and Bordeaux goalkeeper Benoit Costil. A cautious tale.