Lyon right back Rafael believes his teammate Memphis Depay has all it takes to become one of the best players in the world.

The Dutch forward has come under criticism recently in France for a lack of goals this season. He last scored for Lyon back in November and started Friday’s win over Guingamp on the bench, making only made a short cameo at the end.

Speaking to Omnisport, Rafael stated that only consistency is stopping Memphis from being among the world’s best.

Rafael said, “He has to be constant. He is a player who can become the top three in the world if he plays great in every match, like Messi, Ronaldo and Neymar or in the category just below, like Antoine Griezmann. If Memphis is going to perform consistently, he can reach that level.

“One match is great, the next match is not the best. That balance must change. He has to alternate great matches with good matches. Now it is sometimes fantastic and the other times below par. If his lower limit is higher, everything will change for him.”

Rafael also thinks the criticism of Depay’s lifestyle is unfair, “As a person he is different from others, but that is normal for me. He loves the things he loves, it is not more. Some people seem to think that all footballers should be the same, but Memphis is different.

“He is very professional. I often hear that people doubt their professionalism, but Memphis is a real professional. I know he was too late for the preparation for this season, but I think that resulted from a communication error. Of course it is also a bit of Memphis’s fault.

“Memphis is always on time, never misses training and works very hard. I can judge that because I am standing with him every day. It certainly is not his professionalism.”




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