Once compared to Zidane and Ronaldo - bad-boy Menez is finally growing up at Milan

When a 21-year-old Jeremy Menez packed his bags for the Eternal City in the summer of 2008, he was given a glowing reference by his Monaco team-mate and former Roma defender Leandro Cufre. "He is just like Antonio Cassano," saluted the Argentine.


Prophetic words – only not quite as Cufre had intended them. For just like the outrageously-gifted Cassano, Menez's footballing story so far is one of unfulfilled talent and indiscipline. 

At the time of his arrival at the Stadio Olimpico for €10.5 million, Menez was regarded as one of Europe's most promising starlets. A child prodigy, he was a member of France's famous 'Generation of '87' with Karim Benzema, Samir Nasri and Hatem Ben Arfa. The quartet wowed audiences in winning the 2004 Under-17 European Championship. A few months either side of that triumph he became Ligue 1's youngest ever professional with Sochaux and the youngest to score a hat-trick in the French top-flight. He also rejected the advances of Manchester United after Sir Alex Ferguson personally invited him to Carrington.
 
At Roma, there were moments of genius. He scored a number of memorable goals – including stunning strikes versus Torino and Udinese. Milan were his favourite opponents and after terrorising Thiago Silva in one encounter, his then coach Claudio Ranieri commented that Menez "could be as good as Francesco Totti". "I don't need to teach him anything at a technical level," he added.

Nicknamed 'Le Petit Zizou', Menez received the plaudits of Zinedine Zidane himself - who tipped him as his natural successor at Juventus. Italy's most well-regarded media analyst, former Milan hero Zvonimir Boban, compared the Frenchman to Cristiano Ronaldo. "When Menez runs with the ball at his feet he is like Ronaldo, but more elegant," the Croat told Tuttosport.

But Boban added: "He just needs to be more consistent."

And herein lies Menez's biggest problem until this season. Both on and off the pitch he has never been able to maintain his form and focus for long enough to become a key player for his teams. Every time he appeared on the brink of exploding at Roma, he would suffer an inexplicable slump and lose his first-team place. In three years in the Italian capital, he started just 53 Serie A games – an average of less than 18 a season – and scored a modest 12 goals in all competitions.



His temperament, professionalism and workrate were often questioned. He was forced to publicly apologise after barely breaking sweat in an embarrassing substitute appearance against Cagliari. During his spells out of the team, Menez often complained to the press. He also broke the unwritten rule of questioning Totti's power and influence: "I am at a team where Totti comes before anything else," he complained.

And after one blazing training ground row with Ranieri's temporary successor, Vincenzo Montella, Roma decided enough was enough and sanctioned an €8m sale to long-term admirers Paris Saint-Germain. To simplify negotiations, Giallorossi fans vandalised Menez's car – smashing his windscreen.

In Paris, this pattern generally continued. He was banned for four games for insulting a referee, had to deny accusations he refused Carlo Ancelotti's call to come off the bench in a game against Ajaccio, and reacted furiously after being hooked by Antoine Kombouare in another match.

But Menez did play his part in PSG's emergence as a European power and, in 2012-13, he scored the winning goal against Lyon to clinch their first Ligue 1 title in 19 years. But by his third season at Parc des Princes, he had fallen completely out of favour – resulting in him running down his contract and joining AC Milan this summer.

At the time, the transfer received little press attention. This was a player whose star had completely fallen. But as he prepares to return to Rome this Saturday, the Frenchman is back in fashion again having lit up Serie A this term.

With eight goals from 13 starts, he has already surpassed his best tally for a season; only Juventus' Carlos Tevez has struck more times in Italy this term. Menez has featured in a number of different positions and systems, including both flanks, but it is as a 'false 9' where he has truly excelled.

Coach Pippo Inzaghi has afforded Menez the freedom to drop into the hole and float around in search of possession. As a result he has been truly devastating in attacking from deep positions – utilising his silky skills and searing speed. Last Sunday, he scored a wonderful solo strike and humiliated Napoli's Raul Albiol by nutmegging the Spaniard twice. His backheel goal on the opening day versus Parma was a thing of beauty.



He is the reason the Rossoneri are just three points off the third Champions League spot. With Fernando Torres proving to be an almighty flop and Stephan El Shaarawy still struggling for sharpness, Menez has been Milan's offensive talisman.

"Menez now has the experience to be a true leader. Milan have made a great deal taking him on a free transfer," former Inter star Benoit Cauet told Goal.

"He is the point of reference for his team. He has the broad shoulders and the head to drag his team-mates around the field. You cannot argue about his quality. Zlatan Ibrahimovic has always described him as a player of extraordinary ability."

Menez is displaying a new-found maturity and is yet to even be booked this season. Although the player dislikes being painted as a bad-boy, he has acknowledged that he has learned from his errors of the past.

"The term 'bad-boy' is rubbish," he told Gazzetta dello Sport. "People have a false picture of me. I'm not saying that I have always been a saint, but I am now grown up; I feel different. 

"In Rome, I was young, I went wrong two or three times and I realised I made mistakes."

Despite later winning a Scudetto with Milan, Antonio Cassano sadly never learned from the mistakes he committed as a Roma prodigy. He will never shake off his 'Peter Pan' tag. Perhaps Jeremy Menez, belatedly at the age of 27, has finally grown up.