Former Manchester United striker Eric Cantona has heaped praise on PSG midfielder Javier Pastore as the "best player in the world."
Cantona was asked who he thought was the current best player in the world right now on Tuesday, to which he surprisingly chose the Argentine playmaker.
The former Manchester United and France star striker was speaking to media in Shanghai ahead of Wednesday’s Laureus Sports Award gala.
Cantona won four league titles during his time at Old Trafford, and came third in Ballon d’Or voting in the 1993 season.
The popular choices for the current best player in the world amongst media and football fans are Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo.
But Cantona seems to think otherwise.
“For me, the best player in the world is Javier Pastore,” he stated.
“I watched two PSG games just to see him play. For me, he is the most creative player at the moment.
“Pastore is full of surprises. I love this kind of player.”
Although statistics do not tell the full story behind a player, the Argentine Pastore has four goals and ten assists in 42 appearances for his club side.
Cantona made another controversial claim right after that, claiming that Spain’s 2010 World Cup dominance was down to Barcelona’s influence on the national side.
“Catalonia won the World Cup,” he explained. “Spain won it with ten Barcelona players in the team. Spain did not win the World Cup, Catalonia did. Barcelona won it.
“I’m sure that as soon as the youth set-up from Barcelona and other Spanish teams draw new, good players, Spain will emerge again.”
