Casemiro was interviewed by ESPN, where he spoke about Vinicius, Benzema and the Ballon d'Or, whether or not he is among the best defensive midfielders in the world and the historic Trio he has formed alongside Kroos and Modric in the Real Madrid midfield.

Casemiro-Kroos-Modric: "It's a privilege to play for so many years at the biggest club in the world and I think I'll only have the scale of what I've managed to build when it's all over one day. Playing alongside Luka Modric and Toni Kroos is a privilege. I will cherish the fact that I have played with them for so long and I will tell my grandchildren that I was able to play with two exceptional players, two football icons."

Kanté or Casemiro? "I prefer you to answer that, but I would like to remember that Kanté, although he is an extraordinary player, has been playing at Chelsea in a different position, with more attacking freedom, and the first defensive midfielder is Jorginho. You also have to remember that there are other players of the highest level in this role, like Busquets and Fabinho.  I'm happy just of being mentioned as one of the best".

Vinicius: "What I can say is that Vinicius is going through his best moment, a special phase and he is also young, he has great potential for growth."

Benzema: "It's a privilege to play alongside Karin Benzema and I really support him to win the Ballon d'Or".

Zidane and Ancelotti: "Every coach has his method of working and fortunately we are adapting very well to Carlo Ancelloti's method, as we did for a long time with Zidane. But I want to highlight one particular point that is very charming about Ancelotti: he is a 62-year-old man, with more than 40 years in football and who has already conquered everything, but his determination to win and to teach us with all his experience every day is incredible".