Atalanta midfielder Ruslan Malinovskyi believes Cristiano Ronaldo is not the best player in Serie A and insists Luis Muriel ‘could have played for Barcelona.’
The 28-year-old reached double figures for goals and assists at Atalanta in 2020-21 and La Dea managed to snatch a top four finish for the third consecutive season.
When asked about who the best Serie A player is, Malinovskyi didn’t pick Ronaldo.
“I am not going to say he is the best player in Italy, I believe there are better players than him,” the Ukraine international told Вацко Live on YouTube.
“I can say the best player I’ve played with is [Luis] Muriel. He is an incredible footballer.
“If things had gone differently, he could have played for Barcelona, it’s hard to believe why it hasn’t happened.
“Maybe it depends on his character, but Muriel is the soul of our dressing room, he is always smiling.”
Malinovskyi revealed he could have joined Sampdoria instead of Atalanta.
“They wanted to sign him, but a few problems emerged. Atalanta looked more determined and talks with Samp collapsed.”