Celtic striker Moussa Dembele has revealed that praise from Zinedine Zidane has spurred him on to fulfil his potential.
The France Under-21 international returns to his hometown on Wednesday as the Scottish champions meet Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, with the 21-year-old striker one of their star attractions.
Dembele has been watched by many of Europe’s biggest clubs and was the subject of praise from Real Madrid boss and France legend Zidane.
“I have played with the greatest strikers, Ronaldo, Thierry Henry, Raul, and you knew on the biggest occasions they would win you games – and Dembele is already showing that,” ‘Zizou’ said of his compatriot.
“I do understand now that the biggest clubs in Europe are being linked with him and that will be his destination eventually – but my advice now is ignore it all.”
Those words have delighted the hitman, whose value has been placed at around the €20 million mark.
“It means a lot to me when a legend - because Zidane is a legend - praises and makes positive comments about me," Dembele told UEFA’s official website.
“It's good. I was pleased but at first I was shocked to hear that. The fact that my work is not something that goes unnoticed, and the fact that a legend like Zidane speaks like that of me, my football ability and especially my future, gives you an incentive to wake up in the morning and do a better job than others, and get where I want to be.”
Dembele missed PSG’s 5-0 win at Celtic Park in September due to a hamstring injury but has scored six times in 13 outings for the Hoops this season, despite starting only a handful of those fixtures.