AC Milan ace Ibrahimovic: Thiago Silva level above Barcelona pair Pique, Puyol

AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic rates teammate Thiago Silva as the best defender in the world.

Ibra also spoke highly of fullback Ignazio Abate.

“When I see Thiago Silva I see me, but as a defender. There is no defender in the world more complete than him," said Ibra.

“Although I have had strong defenders as teammates, such as [Lilian] Thuram, [Gerard] Pique, [Fabio] Cannavaro and [Carles] Puyol, I think that Thiago is on another level.

“Abate has grown so much in my opinion. When I arrived I didn’t know him. Now I know if he is not on the field. He is a great person and has become an important player for the team.

“He has to be given the chance to play for the national team. For a player this is the best thing that can happen, it is a great honour to play for your country. If he continues then he will become a starter for the Azzurri.

“Robinho has missed a few goals, but I have gone wrong, even [Alexandre] Pato and [Filippo] Inzaghi have also gone wrong. There are times when the ball doesn’t go in, but the important thing is that the opportunity is created.”