Exaggeration or reality?

Marc Cucurella reckons Real Madrid are the best team in Europe right now. The Los Blancos star has also revealed the player who has surprised him most within the squad.

Cucurella said, in an interview with the programme "El Partidazo" on "Cope" radio: "We are currently the best team in Europe, after producing a very good run of results, and the team has started to look very serious. Are we better than Paris Saint-Germain? I don't watch their matches much."

The player who impressed him the most

He added: "The best player at Real Madrid? I could choose Mbappe or Bellingham or Courtois, but I'll mention a player I love a lot who doesn't get enough attention, and that's Arda Guler. He plays a lot and has great quality, and when he is on the pitch the team plays better, and our performance becomes more connected in the passing. He is the player who has surprised me the most."

Vinicius's bursts

Asked to compare Diomande and Vinicius Junior, and how much each helps him on the pitch, Cucurella said: "I don't think Diomande helps me more than Vinicius, but what he does is more obvious. Diomande makes one run backwards, and you find him everywhere. As for Vinicius, he makes three runs, then there is one he doesn't run into, and that's the one everyone sees."

"If Vini scored three goals in every match, no one would criticise him," he continued. "The most important thing for us is that he returns to his best level, because when he is at the peak of his level we have a wonderful team."

The Real Madrid defender backed his team-mate, saying: "Vinicius is a player who has delivered exceptional levels for five years, and it is natural for him to go through a dip at the moment. I see that he has the desire and is trying during training, and that is the important thing."