Football FanCast columnist Rob Swan feels that labelling Arsenal's probable signing Samir Nasri, as the ‘new Zidane', is somewhat unjust and the type of pressure he can do well without.

Comparisons between rising stars and former legends are nothing new in football; rarely do they prove to be accurate. Often used as a lazy get-out clause for coaches, spectators and journalists alike to describe a youngster's attributes, these comparisons often result in undue pressure resting on the shoulders of the players in question.

Arsenal's probable new signing Samir Nasri is just another in the long line of young players dubbed 'the new [insert former legend's name here]'. This time the former great in question; Zinedine Zidane. The finest player of the last 20 years, three time World Footballer of the Year, the man who guided his country to European and World Cup glory, a Champions League winner, the list is endless.

Before Arsenal fans begin to get too excited, anticipating an exact replica of the France legend, they might be wise to cast their minds back to the first player branded 'the new Zidane'... Bruno Cheyrou. A 'where is he now' candidate if ever there was one, Cheyrou was signed by Gerard Houllier back in 2002, and it was the former Liverpool boss who saw fit to compare the youngster from France with the man who'd just sealed a move to Real Madrid for a record £47m.

Bitter disappointment soon set in amongst the Anfield faithful, as the new Zidane they'd been promised turned out to be nothing more than the new Igor Biscan, in a comparison which was about as accurate as labelling Titus Bramble the new Beckenbauer. Cheyrou was considered such a huge flop because of the comparisons Houllier had made. Had the French manager not made such an audacious claim, would the youngster have been given more time to rise up and establish himself at Liverpool?

Although it's unlikely that Nasri will be anywhere near as ineffective as Cheyrou for his new club, the danger of a similar issue arising is still there because of the unfair title he's been dubbed with. Arsenal fans may be forgiven for expecting miracles from their new French playmaker, but they should also remember first and foremost that he's only 20, and secondly, that Samir Nasri is Samir Nasri, and not Zinedine Zidane reincarnated.

As Zidane only retired two years ago, there's still plenty of time for more players to come under the same intense scrutiny as a result of the tag in the future. No player has ever been used more as a comparison reference than the greatest player of all time, Diego Maradona. After 'hanging up his international boots' in 1994, a list of young and talented Argentine footballers as long as your arm have been hailed as the second coming.

From Ariel Ortega to Pablo Aimar, Juan Roman Riquelme to Javier Saviola, none of the players who compile the list have ever come close to taking Maradona's mantle because of the sheer amount he accomplished in his career combined with his steely determination and unpredictable personality, and it's hard not to think that the same will be true in the case of Zidane.

It's a credit to Zidane's ability that he was able to take Michel Platini's seemingly untouchable title as the best player France ever produced, but however much Samir Nasri or anyone else equipped with the 'new Zidane' tag achieves in their respective careers, it will surely do little to jolt Zizou's top spot position. A national hero in his home country as well as his parent's native homeland, Zidane's legacy is now set in stone. And now 20-year-old Samir Nasri finds himself up against the challenge of proving himself a worthy heir to Zidane's throne before his career has even really got going.

This of course will be no mean feat. Zidane, a player who was able to display an unparalleled level of artistry and genius on the pitch to subsequently earn a place amongst the very best footballers of all time, as well as having an admirable humility away from the sport rarely seen amongst modern day world-class footballers.

Good luck Samir, you might just need it.

NB - Rob Swan is competing in our Bloggers Euro Championship so if you can give his article a rating in the voting box, it would be greatly appreciated.