“He had a great season, but there are other players who are ahead” – Casemiro snubs Real Madrid teammate while naming 3 best players in the world 

Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro snubbed his teammate Vinicius Junior while naming the three best players in the world.

Vinicius scored the winner for Los Blancos in their 1-0 win against Liverpool in the Champions League final on Saturday.

It capped off a fine campaign for the Brazilian winger, who hadn't lived up to his potential since joining from Flamengo in 2018.

The 21-year-old well and truly came of age in the 2021-22 season, scoring 22 goals and making 20 assists from 52 games in all competitions.

He played a key role in both their domestic and European success and has established himself among the best young players in the world right now.

However, he still doesn't rank in the top three best players, according to his own teammate and compatriot Casemiro, who instead named two Liverpool players alongside Karim Benzema.

Speaking to Goal, he said:

"In my opinion, not yet [he is one of the three best]. He had a great season, but there are other players who are ahead. Benzema, Salah, Mané... But he is an exceptional player. And the good thing is that he has 21 years. This kid is going to grow a lot".

Benzema also had the best season of his career yet with 44 goals and 15 assists from 46 games, winning the top-scorer award for both La Liga and the Champions League.

Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, meanwhile, were on fire for Liverpool, playing a key role in their domestic double as well as helping finish runners-up in both the Premier League and Europe.

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Real Madrid star to develop into a world-class prospect

Casemiro is absolutely right - Vinicius still has a long way to go and could develop even further in the years to come.

The players he mentioned have been delivering consistently for their sides for years now, while this was the Brazilian's first 'successful' campaign at an individual level.

Until last year, he never even hit double-digit figures for Los Blancos in all competitions, and the jury was out on Real Madrid's €46 million investment of him.

But Vinicius came of age this season and finally delivered on the potential that was expected of him since his arrival at the Santiago Bernabeu.

However, in order to be truly considered among the best, the Real Madrid star will have to maintain this form for years to come.