Christian Ziege

Christian Ziege’s left foot made the touchline feel dangerous from almost absurd distances. A powerful and attack minded German left sided player, he moved between full back, wing back and wide midfield with a rare mix of athletic force, crossing quality and shooting threat. At Bayern Munich he emerged as one of the Bundesliga’s best wide talents, then carried that profile through Milan, Middlesbrough, Liverpool and Tottenham, with varying levels of comfort but always with the same weaponry. He could drive forward, hit early balls, strike free kicks and give width with real personality. Defensively, he was more suited to aggressive systems than long spells of pure containment, but his attacking value was undeniable. With Germany, he was part of the Euro 1996 winning squad and remained a useful tournament player. Ziege was not a quiet full back. He was a left flank cannon with stamina, technique and just enough chaos to keep things interesting.