Spain boss Vicente del Bosque has said that Rafa Benitez is "among the best coaches in the world," amid speculation the Spaniard is set to take charge of Real Madrid next week.
Current Napoli coach Benitez is widely seen as the front runner to take the Madrid job, which became vacant when Carlo Ancelotti was sacked on Monday after ending the 2014-15 season without a major trophy.
Madrid president Florentino Perez has intimated that the new coach, to be appointed next week, will be a Spanish speaker, while Ancelotti's agent Ernesto Bronzetti has said he believes Benitez is "99 percent" certain to be the man chosen.
Madrid-born Benitez first joined the Santiago Bernabeu club as a youth player, before returning to work as a youth coach aged 26 and graduating to become assistant first-team coach under Del Bosque. He eventually left to further his career as a head coach at Real Valladolid in 1995.
Asked about his former colleague's suitability to take over the Madrid job, Del Bosque told a news conference that it was not his call to make, while suggesting that Benitez is a suitable choice for the position.
"That is not my decision," Del Bosque said. "He whose job it is will bring the best coach, but [Benitez] is among the best coaches in the world."
Del Bosque was also asked what he thought of Perez's decision to fire Ancelotti, despite the Italian having delivered the Champions League and Copa del Rey titles last season.
Del Bosque -- who was himself sacked as Madrid boss by Perez in 2003 after winning two La Liga and two Champions League titles during four years in charge -- declined to go into detail, but did say that Ancelotti had made an impact during his time in the Spanish capital.
"I will not comment on the decision of a club, it is not for me to talk about that," Del Bosque said. "In both the professional and personal areas, [Ancelotti] has left his mark on Spanish football."