A FORMER football agent has revealed how he offered Zinedine Zidane to Newcastle – only for Toon to brand the Frenchman a barely Championship-level player.
Barry Silkman is a former footballer who turned out for clubs including Manchester City, Brentford and Crystal Palace.
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He went on to become one of the beautiful game’s top transfer gurus, facilitating moves for numerous big names.
Silkman worked with aces including Jaap Stam, Micah Richards, Tomas Soucek and Yakubu during a glittering career.
But he also came close to sealing one of the biggest transfers in history.
In 1996, Silkman fell head over heels for midfield playmaker Zidane – then at French side Bordeaux.
The ace would go on to become a superstar for Juventus and Real Madrid, winning three titles and a Champions League while also leading France to World Cup glory in 1998.
At the time, Silkman had a good relationship with Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan and offered Zidane to the Magpies’ manager.
However, he was left stunned when Keegan turned down the opportunity to sign Zidane for a bargain £1.2MILLION.
The Newcastle gaffer had been informed by his chief scout that Zizou was hardly good enough for Wolves – who were bottom of the Championship at the time.
But years later, Keegan admitted to Silkman that he should have listened after seeing Zidane blossom into an all-time great.
Writing in his book, ‘The Not-So Secret Football Agent’, Silkman said: “I was alerted to the talent of a 24-year-old attacking midfielder at Bordeaux and I went along to watch him.
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“His name was Zinedine Zidane, and it took me about five minutes to decide that this guy was going to be something very special.
“I had brought a number of good players to Newcastle United under Kevin Keegan’s reign and every one of them was a success, so Zidane felt like the perfect fit for a Keegan team.
“It was 7 January, 1996, and I told Kevin he could sign Zidane for £1.2million – it was a steal.
“I begged Kevin to sign him, but in the end he told me his chief scout thought he wasn’t good enough and years later, Kevin told me he should have listened to me instead of his scout.
“Zidane eventually signed for Juventus and the rest is history.
“More than 20 years later, Kevin would tell me I was the best agent he ever came across – the only good one in his opinion.
“Nice words from a top man who I always got along really well with over the years.
“I wish I’d kept the fax that was sent to me from Newcastle United where the chief scout stated, ‘Silky has grossly overrated the player. At best he is good enough for Wolves, who are bottom of the Championship at present’.
“I think Zidane was slightly better than the players in struggling Wolves team!”
