If there’s one thing the German Bundesliga needs to know about new Schalke winger Michel Bastos, it’s this:
The guy has a freakin’ amazing left foot, but one search of YouTube could have told you that. I guess that site’s blocked at Greuther Furth, which is unfortunate. This is literally all you need to know about Michel Bastos.
That may seem a bit harsh, but if you had to have one amazing trait, it would be a glorious left foot. The weapon got Bastos from Brazil to Lille to Lyon and won him a place on Brazil’s 2010 World Cup squad as a type of make shift left back. Along the way, opponents learned the key to stopping the 29-year-old: Don’t let him have space to hurt you. On dead balls, you can’t help it (and he does find a way to hurt you). In open play, just stay in front of him.
Just after halftime today in Gelsenkirchen, Greuther Furth saw why. A defender too concerned from keeping him from going wide gave him far too much room. With his outside foot, Bastos comes across the ball and puts in into the far side netting.
The list of players who can do that is short, and Bastos may be at its top. The Bundesliga best remember that.