Luis Muriel reminds Fiorentina boss of ‘Ronaldo the Phenomenon’

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Fiorentina manager Stefano Pioli has lavished the highest praise on loanee Luis Muriel, comparing the forward to Brazilian Ronaldo. 

The Colombian joined the Viola ranks on a temporary basis from Sevilla earlier this month and bagged a brace on his Serie A debut at the weekend.

What is Muriel’s style? Five key things to know…

  1. A centre-forward by trade, Muriel is a versatile attacker who can play in any position across the front line.
  2. Known for his nimble feet, the lithe forward has often drawn comparisons with Barcelona striker Luis Suarez.
  3. After Alexis Sanchez departed for Barcelona, Udinese legend Antonio Di Natale stated that Muriel possesses all the “qualities” of the Chilean but “actually scores more goals”.
  4. Despite his discernible qualities, Muriel has largely failed to reach the heights of his potential.
  5. Stefano Pioli has now compared the 27-year-old to two-time World Cup and Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo after impressing on his debut.

In an action-packed encounter at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, Muriel struck twice against his former club Sampdoria to secure a 3-3 draw, much to the delight of Pioli, who saw his side reduced to 10-men in the first-half.

Such was the praise that Piola compared Muriel to Brazil and Real Madrid legend O Fenomeno, who is widely regarded by some as the greatest footballer of all time.

He told reporters: “Today he has proven his worth and must continue to do so. In the past he may not have done everything he could.

“The day he arrived I told him: ‘You are the only one who reminds me of Ronaldo the Phenomenon’. I am lucky to be able to train him.”

The draw was Fiorentina’s ninth stalemate of the season, the joint-most in Serie A, and the club currently occupies tenth-place as a result, five points off a Europa League qualification spot.

The club next face an away trip to the Marcantonio Bentegodi to face Chievo on Sunday.

Muriel “not at all surprised” by Quagliarella’s fine form

Despite turning 36 later this month Fabio Quagliarella has been in sensational form this season, so far scoring 14 Serie A goals in 19 matches.

The veteran forward netted a brace in the 3-3 draw on Sunday, meaning he has now scored in 10 consecutive league matches – the second-best streak in Italian top flight history, with Gabriel Batistuta (11) holding the number one mantle since 1994.

As such, the Blucerchiati striker has been tipped for a recall to the Italian national team, and Muriel insists he is not surprised by the form of his ex-teammate, revealing the former Juve man always used to “run much more than” him.

“I am not at all surprised, because I know him well,” 27-year-old Muriel told Sky Sport Italia.

“Fabio’s quality has always been obvious and therefore what he’s doing now is normal for him. He’s a fantastic player and doing such things at his age is very difficult.

“Having said that, I played alongside him and he always did run much more than me! I’m happy for him, as he deserves this success.”

The post Luis Muriel reminds Fiorentina boss of ‘Ronaldo the Phenomenon’ appeared first on Squawka News.



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