Cristiano Ronaldo is the "best player" in Europe according to Juventus team-mate Blaise Matuidi, who has hailed the Portuguese star ahead of a huge Champions League clash against Ajax.
The Old Lady are set to face off against the Dutch giants in Amsterdam on Wednesday night in the first leg of a quarter-final tie.
Massimiliano Allegri's men are relentlessly pursuing European glory this season, having finished as runners-up in the competition in two of the last four years.
Ronaldo is expected to return to action for Juve in midweek after recovering from a muscular injury picked up while away on international duty with Portugal, having been the hero in the round of 16 against Atletico Madrid.
The 34-year-old netted a superb hat-trick in a 3-0 win at the Allianz Stadium to help the Bianconeri overturn a 2-0 first-leg deficit against the Liga outfit.
Matuidi, who has also enjoyed a prominent role in the Juve squad this season, has praised his club colleague for his outstanding contribution while also offering an insight into how hard he works on his overall game behind the scenes.
“We have the best player: Cristiano Ronaldo," Matuidi told DAZN. "We are happy with what he’s doing, we are having fun and we hope he can continue like this.
“He played phenomenally in the match against Atletico, but I think he shows his brilliance every day in training, you see it in the way he trains.
“He surprises me every day because he works harder than everyone else and I think that is what makes the difference.
“It makes you say: 'It’s not by chance that he reached this level'.”
Juventus have not won the European Cup since 1996, but they are among the favourites to lift the trophy come June 1, alongside Manchester City and Barcelona.
Allegri has enjoyed a trophy-laden five-year spell in Turin, winning 10 major trophies in total, including four consecutive Serie A titles, but the Champions League is the one piece of silverware still missing from his CV.
A semi-final berth awaits against either City of Tottenham if the Italian champions can get past Ajax this time around.
Matudi commended Allegri for his work at Juve, stating that his ability to manage great players is the driving force behind his success in the dugout.
“Every coach has his own philosophy and Allegri has his," he added. "He’s particularly great at managing his players, but he’s also very good when it comes to preparing a game tactically.
“He knows how to manage the players as well as the locker room as a whole.
“We know that Juventus have many great players and Allegri knows how to deal with great players.
"And when you know how to manage great players it means you’re a great coach.”
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