Ribery: Vlahovic stood out among other young talents

 

Frenchman Franck Ribery has praised Juventus forward Dusan Vlahovic, saying the Serbian has the mentality of a big player.

This couldn’t be farfetched, having played with him briefly played at Fiorentina.

Ribery, who now plies his trade with Salernitana in the Italian top flight, left the Florence club after his contract expired at the end of last season, while Vlahovic, a Serbian international, moved to Juventus in the midseason.

Before coming to the Italian top flight, Ribery enjoyed enormous success at Bayern Munich.

He was also part of an incredible France side that also nurtured some young talents.

Speaking with DAZN, Ribery said he is impressed with Vlahovic’s mentality, noting that he has the right mentality and he is someone who works hard.

Vlahovic made an immediate impact at the Allianz Stadium, helping Juve secure another top-four finish.

Ribery, who noted that having played with some greats like Zinedine Zidane and Lilian Thuram, said he was smart to watch their behavior because they were great players.

Speaking further about the 22-year-old striker who has proven to be a good buy for Max Allegri’s side, the ex-France international said he stood out because he has a different mentality from a lot of young players in the game.

He said he like young players who are intelligent, believe, and work hard. He added that such players are hungry for success.

Having known a lot of talents who were lacking grits, Ribery said he always looks to help young players to become greats.

Citing the example of Real Madrid defender David Alaba, whom he met at the age of 16 at Bayern Munich, the veteran winger said after the Austrian saw him with a nice car and nice watch, he told him not to think about those but to work hard and make a lot of sacrifices.

His success was mostly with the Bavarian club, where he won nine Bundesliga titles and six German Cups in 12 seasons.

He will never forget the 2012-13 campaign season when he helped the Bavarians win the Treble of Bundesliga, German Cup, and Champions League. He also emerged third on the Ballon d’Or podium behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

 

Written by: Oladipupo Mojeed