Even if we insist on the contrary and we only want to win, football is a hobby, a pastime, an activity that should distract and excite us. In this case, beauty is the main catalyst for emotion, and the most elegant footballers on the pitch are the ones that remain engraved on our memories forever.
We will never forget the players who danced on the field like Zidane, Iniesta or Pirlo, but the player that we will analyze today plays closer to the opponent’s goal. A striker that shines for his quality and superior technical abilities? No, it is neither Dimitar Berbatov or Karim Benzema. I am talking about Joshua Zirkzee.
When speaking of the Dutchman, we are referring to a player that started gathering attention from the public eye in his first appearances for Bayern Munich. He joined the Bavarian giant from Feyenoord‘s academy and began perfecting his craft in their youth squad.
The 2019-2020 season, in which he scored four goals and dished out one assist in under 300 Bundesliga minutes (a goal contribution every 59 minutes), was his first with the senior roster. At the young age of 18, he was starting to show signs of great potential.
Two seasons after, he was forced to leave the German side on loan due to a lack of playing time. He would have a great season playing for Anderlecht (18 goals and 13 assists) and Bolonia would set their eyes on the Dutch gem.
The Italian team invested a lot on Joshua Zirkzee. They spent nearly nine million for a young striker that had never played in Serie A and still had a lot left to prove. After a first season in which he showed flashes (two goals and two assists) but suffered many injuries, he struggled to earn a starting spot as Arnautović and Orsolini were the pillars of Thiago Motta’s attack.
Things have turned around this season, and after the Austrian forward left for Inter, Zirkzee has become the most important attacker for the Italian manager as Bolonia have been the main surprise of Calcio and find themselves in Champions League positions.
His eight goals and four assists so far this season have also contributed to knocking out Inter Milan from Coppa Italia at Giuseppe Meazza. In that match, the Dutchman entered the pitch in the 85th minute and still managed to contribute an assist.
It is the case of a tall striker (1,93 m) that moves as delicately as a ballerina on the dance floor. A forward that, thanks to his size and and good use of his body, is able to hold the ball and fight with opposing center-backs but also drop down and create plays for his teammates or attack the open space by taking advantage of his long stride.
A very well-rounded player that has master almost every register there is and who, perhaps, might only need to sharpen his definition to make the value of a future transfer reach a monstrous fee.
Currently, his release clause is worth 40 million euros, a very affordable price tag for any of the major European clubs. Bayern Munich showed their intelligence when transferring him, as they kept 50% of the rights to the player, so they could buy him back for just 20 million euros.
The only problem with that? They just signed Harry Kane, a similar attacking profile but much more developed, as we are talking about one of the best strikers in the world who is breaking every record there is in the Bundesliga.
The Dutchman stands out in every aspect related to passing and creating chances, as he delivered 1.61 key passes (passes that lead to a teammate’s shot) per game. He is among the top 10% of forwards in Europe when it comes to play creation.
What does he need to work on? He should improve his ambition in front of goal and look to shoot more often, as he only takes a shot on target per match. In spite of that, his expected goals prove his effectiveness, as theoretically, he should have only scored four league goals and he already has seven. He follows the trend of the best strikers, he scores more goals than he should in relation to the quality of the chances he is provided with.
He is the kind of player that everyone enjoys watching play and, in addition to being aesthetic, he is really good. We are watching his rise to the biggest stage in European football. We will see where his ceiling lies, but everyone already knows the striker that moves like a ballerina and strikes like a killer. Keep an eye on Joshua Zirkzee.
Translated by Nuño Alonso.
Main image: @Bolognafc1909.
At ELXIIDEAL we have a great opportunity to advertise your business via our website and social media network.
