Nabil Fekir was signed by Betis to be a creative spark in midfield and the World Cup winner says that is his primary goal when he steps out on to the pitch every weekend: “We are actors and we are there to give the spectators some enjoyment,” Fekir said in an interview with Telefoot. However, he was quick to avoid any comparisons with Leo Messi.

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“We have similar styles of playing but let’s not go crazy, I’m not as good as him,” the former Lyon playmaker, who arrived at Betis for 20 million euros last summer, added. “I’m similar to him in some ways. He is the type of player that people want to watch, the type of player that make people love football.”

Fekir: "Zidane was pure class"

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Fekir also picked an ideal XI from the last decade in which he included Sergio Ramos, Xavi and Andrés Iniesta, as well as Real Madrid left back Ferland Mendy, his international teammate. “I hope he becomes the best in the world,” Fekir said.

Zinedine Zidane also made it into Fekir’s XI: “I was quite young [when Zidane was playing], but he was pure class. On the left I’d put Ronaldo, Cristiano. And up front the real Ronaldo.”