Diego Llorente hails ex-Leeds team-mate Raphinha as most complete he has played with | OneFootball

Diego Llorente says former Leeds United winger Raphinha is the most complete footballer he has played alongside, despite sharing dressing rooms with Real Madrid greats.

“I remember, for example, Raphinha at Leeds… He’s a player who surprised me at first because I didn’t have him on my radar. I didn’t really know him. And then, not just with the ball, but also his statistics without the ball, how much he runs, the runs he makes on a defensive level… I mean, I think he’s a very, very complete footballer.” He was speaking to 101TV.

Llorente came through Real Madrid’s academy and featured alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos, Luka Modric and Karim Benzema. He first encountered Raphinha after the Brazilian’s £17 million move from Rennes in summer 2020 under Marcelo Bielsa.

“Currently, well, for me, he’d be a serious candidate for the Ballon d’Or. Beyond results and trophies, I think he’s one of the best players in the league [La Liga] right now.”

Raphinha’s relentless work without the ball became a hallmark of Bielsa’s Leeds and helped lay the foundations for his 2022 move to Barcelona.

For Leeds supporters, the Real Betis defender’s tribute underlines the impact of that Elland Road era and the calibre of player they watched each week.

Source: Leedsunited.news

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”