“He’s one of the best players in the world” – Barcelona target lavishes praise on Real Madrid superstar

Barcelona target Juan Foyth has termed Real Madrid attacker Vinicius Junior one of the best players in the world ahead of Villarreal's La Liga clash with Los Blancos on Saturday (April 8).

Foyth will face Vinicius when his Villarreal side head to the Santiago Bernabeu at the weekend. The Brazilian is coming off a superb performance in Madrid's 4-0 Copa del Rey semifinal demolition of Barca in the El Clasico semifinals.

The Argentine defender has lavished praise on Vinicius. He told DAZN that the Real Madrid attacker has to be respected, as he has earned it:

“Viní Jr is a player who always puts you at risk. You have to respect him because he has earned it."

Foyth continued by alluding to Vinicius' personality, adding that it makes him one of the best players in the world:

“Viní Jr knows he’s good. He has a lot of personality, and that’s why he’s one of the best players in the world. He is a lethal weapon in Real Madrid’s attack, one of the biggest clubs in history."

Vinicius put in a captivating display in Los Blancos' win over Barcelona, which saw them advance to the Copa del Rey final. He scored the opener and provided the assist for Karim Benzema to complete his hat-trick.

However, the Brazilian caused uproar in the Barca camp for his behaviour in the game. He clashed with Gavi, Ronald Araujo and Ferran Torres during a tense clash at the Camp Nou. The Blaugrana reportedly feel that Vinicius is disrupting the harmony the two rivals have had since the Jose Mourinho era.

Nevertheless, Foyth has heaped massive praise on the Real Madrid attacker, and for good reason. He has scored 20 goals and provided 15 assists in 43 games across competitions this season.

It might not be too long before Foyth plays Vinicius in the El Clasico. Reports claim that Barcelona are interested in signing the Villarreal right-back for €30 million in the summer.

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Barcelona boss Xavi slams team for Real Madrid defeat

Xavi enraged with his side's disappointing showing.

Barcelona headed into their Copa del Rey second-leg clash with Madrid with a 1-0 aggregate lead. Xavi's men were in fine form, beating Los Merengues 2-1 in the league. They now sit 12 points above their Clasico rivals and are racing towards the league title.

However, they were punished by a ruthless Madrid attack on Wednesday. The result came as a shock, and manager Xavi was damning in his verdict on his side's performance. He said (via GOAL):

"We are not mature enough. We have so many young players, and they have to learn how to compete better. When you don't kill Real Madrid, Real Madrid kill you. We didn't score at least one goal. They were better than us, and this is football."

Barca will look to bounce back from their Copa del Rey exit when they face Girona in the league on Monday (April 10). Xavi will want to see a reaction from his players following their Clasico humbling.