Former Real Madrid star Fernando Morientes had a web conference with the Mexican media this week.
Being one of the most famous strikers of his generation, the 44-year-old obviously had to talk about Mexico’s best centre foward, Raul Jimenez.
With much praise for the Wolverhampton Wanderers star, Morientes claimed the player could improve many teams in Spain.
“For a striker to take out his virtues he must be surrounded by talent,” said Morientes (via ESPN).
“There are people who end up not taking shape in one team, but come to another team, such as now in England, and we all think that Raul Jiménez is an extraordinary player who can give a fantastic performance in any La Liga team.”
Raul Jimenez had some previous experience playing in Spain, since he was bought by Atletico Madrid in 2014 and stayed at the club for a year.
But he only scored one goal in 22 appearances for the Colchoneros, and that led the La Liga side to sell him to Benfica the following summer in a €22m deal.
Morientes talked a little about it, saying that perhaps that wasn’t the best environment for Jimenez at the time, especially because other people may have weighed on his early departure from Madrid.
“If you think of Raul Jiménez at the moment, he could be giving his best version in Spanish football and in this case at Atletico Madrid, but also think that the great clubs have many players, who go through good and bad moments and the moment when the club decides that a player must leave is not a decision of a single person, the coach has weight in that decision.
“I think that there are players who have a higher performance in the team they play, I’ve played 18 years professionally in different teams and it has been different in each of them, it doesn’t depend on the quality or the physical appearance of the player, it depends on how you surround yourself.”
