Former Brazil star Juninho Pernambucano has hailed Miralem Pjanic's free-kick skills and feels the Juventus midfielder is a specialist just like superstars such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale.
Juninho is widely regarded as one of the best free-kick takers the game has ever seen and briefly played alongside Pjanic during his time at Lyon.
He has nothing but praise for the Bosnia-Herzegovina star and is adamant the creative midfielder is among the best in the world when it comes to set pieces.
"Pjanic was still very young when he arrived at Lyon, but he was already a big personality and you could see that he had a bright future ahead of him," Juninho told Tuttosport.
"He already had a lot of quality at set pieces and he has become one of the best around these days.
"I'd say he is a specialist at the same level as Ronaldo, Messi and Bale, players who strike the ball in an excellent manner."
Juninho stressed there is more to Pjanic's game than just free-kicks, though, and likened him to Andrea Pirlo.
“I think Miro is the perfect replacement for Pirlo when you look at his talent, charisma and love for the game. But they are different types of players," the Brazilian added.
"Pirlo is a master at dictating the pace of the game. He decides what's happening for his team. He can play short passes and long balls to orchestrate his team.
"Miro is especially talented individually. He can be a 'trequartista'. I think the fans will love him like they loved Pirlo."
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