Napoli´s Zielinski better than De Bruyne, claims Boniek

Kevin De Bruyne has been hailed as a future winner of the Ballon d’Or by Pep Guardiola, but Zbigniew Boniek believes Piotr Zielinski is better than the Belgium playmaker.

Zielinski has scored four Serie A goals this season to help Napoli sit top of the table, a point clear of champions Juventus, as they seek a first Scudetto since 1989-90.

Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri has compared Zielinski to De Bruyne, whose goals and assists have sent Manchester City 16 points clear at the top of the Premier League.

Zielinski is regarded as one of the brightest talents in European football and Boniek, head of the Polish Football Association, already rates the 23-year-old above De Bruyne.

“He will be the next De Bruyne? I think Zielinski already has more quality than De Bruyne,” Boniek said to Corriere dello Sport.

“They are different kind of players, of course, but they have the same ability to leave their mark on the team. I think that he will become a top player.

“He was 16, I went to see a Poland youth international match and thought: ‘This is an extraordinary player’.”

Zielinski was linked with a move to Liverpool before joining Napoli from Udinese in 2016, with the Premier League club reportedly still keen on the midfielder.