Italian Serie A

Nedved tips Marchisio for greatness

December 20, 2011
By ESPNsoccernet staff

Former Juventus star Pavel Nedved believes Bianconeri midfielder Claudio Marchisio is well on his way to becoming one of the best players in the world.

• Blog: All Roads lead to Fortress Friuli

Marchisio has become a crucial figure under manager Antonio Conte and has hit the headlines after scoring a career-best six goals in 14 Serie A appearances to help Juventus move two points clear at the top of Serie A.

And Nedved, now a director at Juventus, predicts 25-year-old Marchisio will become one of football's star names.

"I'm sure Marchisio will soon be regarded as one of the best midfielders in the world," Nedved told UEFA.com. "He is already close to the best; he just needs a bit more experience."

Marchisio, who is closing in on 150 appearances for his boyhood club, has hit top form in Conte's 4-3-3 system and requires just one more goal to equal the record for one season of Marco Tardelli, the player he is often compared to.

Former Italy star Tardelli, who scored in the Azzurri's 3-1 win over West Germany to secure the World Cup in 1982, is also a big fan of the Turin-born midfielder.

"Marchisio is a great player," Tardelli said. "He is doing great things and I'm sure he will continue to do so for many years. We are quite similar physically and he plays more or less in the position I did wearing my No. 8 shirt."

But despite all the accolades, Marchisio is not getting carried away. "The more good things I hear about myself, the harder I feel I have to work in training," he said.