Augusto: Germany better than Brazil

Bayer Leverkusen’s Renato Augusto believes Germany are a stronger side than his native Brazil.

The former Flamengo winger is now in his fourth season in the Bundesliga and he feels the standard has risen dramatically since his arrival in 2008.

“In the past, German players just ran and fought,” he told Express. “Now they play technically wonderful football.”

“The Bundesliga is one of the strongest leagues in the world.”

Augusto believes the competition’s development is reflected in the exploits of the national team, who reached the final of Euro 2008 and the semi-finals of the 2010 World Cup, only to be beaten by Spain on both occasions.

“In Brazil, it is said that the German team is one of the best in the world,” he revealed. “They are currently even better than Brazil.”

“One reason is that the German players for the most part play in the Bundesliga. The Brazilian players, however, are scattered around the globe.”

When asked if there was a German player who would go straight into Brazil’s starting line-up, Augusto said: “Bastian Schweinsteiger. He is one of the best players in the world.”

Augusto is still out of action after undergoing knee surgery in October and he revealed the procedure had been put off for too long after experiencing discomfort ‘since late 2010’.

“I’ve played for months with great pain,” he said.

The 23-year-old, who has 84 Bundesliga appearances for Leverkusen, was capped three times by Brazil last year.