Juventus midfielder Felipe Melo was thrilled to receive praise from Argentine legend Diego Maradona this week.

"To receive praise like that from Maradona, one of the greatest names in world football, is truly fantastic," he beamed on Globoesporte.

"This makes me really happy and I am grateful to him. All this is thanks to hard work and willpower, as I never gave up.

"What I'm going through now has always been my dream and I managed to achieve it with a great deal of effort."