Belgium coach Roberto Martinez says Manchester City ace Kevin de Bruyne is as good as any player in the world.
Martinez insists De Bruyne is at the same level as Barcelona star Lionel Messi and Juventus striker Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Belgian has had an injury plagued campaign, but has still managed an impressive 12 goals and 19 assists from 39 appearances this season. Martinez says among the highlights from De Bruyne this term was the midfielder's performance in City's victory at Champions League round 16 opponents Real Madrid. The second-leg is set to be held with City defending a 2-1 lead.
De Bruyne was outstanding on the night, striking the matchwinning penalty inside the final ten minutes.
For Martinez, the 29 year-old deserves greater recognition and explained why he believes there's no other player like De Bruyne in the game today.
He told AS: "He is already at that level. There is a bit of ignorance, maybe because he is not seen week after week. He is a very different player. I would say to any football fan who enjoys his essence, that of a player who has changed a lot.
"In modern football we always thought that the player who distributed and sought assistance had to have a slightly slower pace, but Kevin is totally different: he speeds up the game. He has a vision of the game and a technical execution that is, for me, the best in the world.
"He does not play in different positions, but can adapt to the game: with Belgium he can play further back, from '10', on the wing ... We saw him against Madrid, at false '9', interpreting the space, then creating the assistance for the winning goal.
"He is very, very complete and there is no such player in world football."
City and Real Madrid are set to settle their round 16 tie in August ahead of the Champions League quarterfinals being staged in Lisbon.
- updated June 29
