Paris, June 2 (IANS) French football club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) striker Edinson Cavani has said team-mate Zlatan Ibrahimovic is one of the best players in the world, adding that he had learned a lot from playing alongside him.
Cavani scored the winning goal in the Coupe de France final on Saturday against Auxerre, with Ibrahimovic leading the line in the 1-0 victory.
“To play and train alongside Ibrahimovic is very special because, for me, he is one of the best footballers in the world. Sharing a dressing room and a pitch with him is special. You learn a lot. It’s a different experience,” Cavani was quoted as saying by goal.com on Tuesday.
Cavani also said that his country Uruguay doesn’t have an encouraging culture to facilitate the emergence of young talent, despite winning the World Cup twice and Copa America four times. He is set to lead Uruguay’s line in the upcoming Copa America, starting June 11.
“A lot of footballers have emerged from our country. To get to the top, you must put in a lot of hard work but you also need to be blessed with talent,” he opined.
“It’s not every day that happens and I think the culture of our country doesn’t help young players achieve their goals of becoming professional players.”
He said his country is falling short of the top European nations when it comes to player development.
“I had to leave when I was 19 and I believe it was the right moment to move to Europe. My father always told me that you risk losing a few years in your development if you stay too long, because the training of players and the methods used are often more advanced in Europe,” the 28-year-old concluded.