10 football superstars and their idols

#7 Robert Lewandowski - Thierry Henry

Robert Lewandowski and Thierry Henry

Robert Lewandowski is hands down the best striker in the business right now and it is only fitting that he used to idolize one of the best strikers of all time and certainly one of the greatest players of the 21st century in Thierry Henry.

The Bayern Munich man not only displays the traits of a traditional no.9 but also serves excellently as a target-man and this is something that Thierry Henry used to do with aplomb too. Lewandowski, in all probability, achieved that technical proficiency or geared himself towards it by following Thierry Henry closely as a kid.

He once said,

“There was a player I tried to follow; it was Thierry Henry in his time at Arsenal,”

“I liked the way he played a moved on the pitch. I think he was a great player.”

“My idol was Thierry Henry. He was amazing - it was not just how he scored the goals but what he did for the team. When he was at Arsenal, I remember how easily he scored goals from different situations.”- Robert Lewandowski pic.twitter.com/kcv11b3XTF

— AFTV (@AFTVMedia) August 3, 2019

#6 Luis Suarez - Gabriel Batistuta

Luis Suarez

Luis Suarez has been one of the best strikers in the world over the past decade. After tearing it up at Liverpool, he secured a dream move to Barcelona where he would go on to form the world's deadliest attacking trio alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar.

Suarez's aggression and tenacity has always set him apart and he claims to have fashioned his game after the powerful Argentina striker Gabriel Batistuta. Batistuta, nicknamed Batigol, was one of the finest strikers of his generation and is a Fiorentina legend having scored 169 goals from 267 games for the Serie A outfit.

Luis Suarez has sang praises of his fellow South American and admitted that he tried to imitate him in his younger days.

"I would like to tell you that you were an idol for me since I was a boy,"

"For football, you were the greatest thing I saw: an impressive strength with an ability to score goals of every different type.

"I tried to imitate you since I was a boy, and for that I admire you very much.

"You're an idol for me and I would like to be able to meet you and talk about football when this bad moment [the coronavirus crisis] passes."

Luis Suarez names Gabriel Batistuta as the player he most admired growing up https://t.co/ALG2q7ckio pic.twitter.com/4mfcW9Dqyw

— B/R Football (@brfootball) February 13, 2016

#5 Philippe Coutinho - Ronaldinho

Philippe Coutinho, Robinho and Ronaldinho

Philippe Coutinho seems to be resuscitating his career after a failed move to Barcelona. The Brazilian was excellent for Liverpool before completing an ill-advised transfer to Barcelona and being shipped out to Bayern Munich subsequently.

During his time at Anfield, Coutinho seemed set to grow into one of the finest playmakers of his generation. The nimble footed attacking midfielder also has a thunderous strike in him. He used to idolize Ronaldinho so much that his move to Barcelona was an attempt at replicating the footballing legend's heroics.

After joining Barcelona and getting off to a good start, Coutinho had said,

"I hope to stay for many years to win as many titles as possible,"

"When Barca's interest came up, I thought that it had always been my dream to come. That's something I can't deny.

"My biggest idol was Ronaldinho, now I have the same opportunity."

Ronaldinho is one of the modern day greats and used to make football look more fun than anyone ever has. Though perhaps not the hardest worker around, the Brazilian legend moved like a dream and had a connection with the ball that's unmatched to date.

#4 Eden Hazard - Zinedine Zidane

Eden Hazard and Zinedine Zidane

Eden Hazard did not have a great debut season for his dream club Real Madrid after joining from Chelsea last summer. However, form is temporary and class is permanent and as such, the Belgian is expected to make a soaring comeback in the upcoming campaign.

Hazard almost single handedly kept Chelsea among the elite through the second decade of the 21st century and now has the unique opportunity of playing under the tutelage of his childhood idol Zinedine Zidane.

In fact, upon joining Real Madrid, the Belgian expressed his excitement at the chance of playing under Zidane. Hazard said,

"Everyone knows that Zidane was my idol since childhood and the fact that he is a Real Madrid coach has been an important factor."