Manuel Pellegrini believes David Silva is undervalued because he does not play for Real Madrid or Barcelona, and feels the midfielder does not get the credit he deserves at Manchester City.
Silva, 29, who began his career at Valencia, has never played for one of the two dominant clubs in his homeland or lifted the Champions League.
His five seasons with City have brought two Premier League titles, the FA Cup and the Capital One Cup, but the Spain international has not received as much individual recognition as many other players of his generation.
And City manager Pellegrini feels it is because the World Cup winner has not been signed by the highest-profile clubs.
"Much depends on the ambition of every player -- each one has a different ceiling," he told Onda Cero, in quotes picked up by AS.
"My impression is that David's quality has not been valued because of the teams he has played at, perhaps, because he has not been at Madrid or Barcelona. He can decide a match in two or three moves."
Silva, who has scored seven times this season, was shortlisted for the PFA Player of the Year award in 2011-12 and was named in UEFA's 23-man Team of the Tournament at Euro 2012.