Dutch legend Marco van Basten has heaped praise on the Barcelona front three of Neymar, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.
The former Ajax and Milan striker recently relinquished his post as Head Coach of AZ Alkmaar to become assistant Coach at the club, stating stress-related reasons, and in an interview with Globosporte was asked his opinion on the trio.
“Neymar is a great player and at first I paid him a lot of attention as I wanted to see him play after the all the talk there had been, but at the World Cup he convinced me,” admitted the 50-year-old.
“Unfortunately he got injured but I had seen enough to convince me that he can produce some great moments and is a fantastic footballer.
“If a team has an attack with him, Messi and Suarez in it then the Coach only has to defend because they will always score goals.
“Although that’s very easy to say, it should normally be like that because these three can make the difference on any pitch.”
Van Basten knows Suarez well, having been in charge at Ajax during the 2008-09 season when the Uruguayan was there, and gave his verdict on the biting episode in Brazil that saw him banned for four months.
“I think he understands he didn’t do well in the incident with Chiellini and I don’t believe he’ll repeat it, but in my opinion players who make tackles that break legs are worse than those who bite.
“Of course, it should never happen but the damage it does is much less, although I feel that Suarez must now start to act like a professional and be a sportsman,” he added.
The three-time Ballon d’Or winner was inevitably asked his thoughts on who he considered the best player in the world – Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo?
“I prefer Messi because he is a natural and has more talent, yet Ronaldo is awesome because he scores so many goals and makes a difference in every game he plays,” he replied.
