Atletico Madrid striker Kevin Gameiro has said that team-mate Antoine Griezmann is yet to reach the level of his former colleague at PSG, Zlatan Ibrahomovic.
Gameiro played alongside Zlatan in the French capital in the 2012-13 season, when the Sweden international hit 30 Ligue 1 goals to see PSG romp to the title.
Gameiro however, believes that compatriot Griezmann can lead a talented new generation of France internationals by ending Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s dominance of the Ballon d’Or.
“I can’t say [Griezmann is the best I’ve played with] because I also played with Ibrahimovic, [David] Beckham and other great players at PSG,” Gameiro told Goal.
“Antoine was third [in the Ballon d’Or] last year and I hope one day he’ll get it. As I said, he has very good qualities and I think he’ll make further progress.
“This French generation has a lot of talent, offensively and defensively. It’s a good thing for the French team and we’ll see what happens.”
29-year-old Gameiro joined Atleti this season after a hitting 29 goals for Sevilla last term, and revealed the secret to the Madrid club’s recent success has been the passion and intensity instilled by coach Diego Simeone.
“Simeone teaches a culture of winning. We see that he’s passionate and he passes that on to us before every match,” Gameiro said.
“He’s someone who lives football, who eats and sleeps football. He’s done great things since he arrived at Atletico and we have a lot of respect for him because he has brought this club to a very high level. I hope he will continue for a long time.”
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