Zinedine Zidane has heaped praise on Romeo Lavia after the Chelsea star’s performance for Belgium against France on Monday in what has been a promising international break for the 22-year-old.
Lavia featured in all four of Belgium’s games, playing 85 minutes and 87 minutes in the two defeats to France, while coming off the bench in the victories over Italy and Turkey.
He was particularly impressive at the Stade de France on Monday despite the 4-1 defeat, providing a stunning assist for Dodi Lukebakio to break the deadlock.
Lavia drove a pass from deep in his own half between the French defenders to send Lukebakio racing clear, taking seven players out of the game in one action.
Zidane’s side stormed out of the traps in the second half, scoring all four of their goals after the break, but the France legend reserved some praise for Lavia’s display in his post-match interview.
“I didn’t watch his individual performance because I was keeping an eye on my own players, but I really liked his pass,” Zidane said when asked about Lavia’s assist.
“I watched it again in the changing room at half-time, during the analysis. He’s a quality player. But he’s not the only one in the Belgian team.
“There are plenty of them, even amongst those who came on as substitutes. They’ll always cause us problems when we face them again. We needed to show a reaction to win, and it’s good that we did.”
Belgium boss Mark van Bommel also singled Lavia out for praise.
He said: “We scored a fantastic goal. Romeo (Lavia) played another great game. At this age, he is much better than me.
“We should be happy that we have him. He is a top player in the making. If he doesn’t succeed at Chelsea, then certainly somewhere else.”
Lavia’s ‘rebirth’
Lavia has endured a torrid time since moving to Chelsea from Southampton for £58m in the summer of 2023, racking up just 43 appearances for the Blues in his first three seasons at the club having been ravaged by injury problems.
But having started Chelsea’s opening four Premier League games of the season, Lavia looks as though he’s returning to the form which encouraged the Blues to pay such a hefty fee for his services, and the man himself has reflected on what he sees as his “rebirth”.
Lavia told BBC: “It’s been a very long time since I’ve felt this good, physically and mentally.
“I’m delighted. There’s a lot of hard work behind it. It’s a rebirth.”
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