TORONTO — There are few bigger stars, Victor Vazquez says, than Michael Bradley.

For Vazquez, Bradley’s celebrity has been the biggest surprise since joining Toronto FC in February.

“I knew Michael Bradley a lot, but I only saw him play in Rome,” the Spanish midfielder said during a sit-down interview at the club’s luxury Orlando resort last weekend.

“He’s a really big star,” Vazquez continued. “When you’re in Europe, you have a lot of stars everywhere. Here, my feeling is that Michael Bradley is maybe the biggest star we have on the team, for sure.”

Just as Vazquez, Major League Soccer’s current co-leader in assists, has been amazed by Bradley’s elevated status within North America, many are astonished at the lack of exposure Vazquez himself has received.

Name recognition, of course, is at least partially to blame. And the Reds rarely are featured on national TV in the United States, where fans and pundits are overexposed to markets like Portland and Seattle.

It’s why most MLS pundits and viewers don’t actually know how good Justin Morrow has been. Or that Jozy Altidore is far and away the best target man in MLS. Because, well, they don’t actually watch TFC all that regularly.

It’s also why coach Greg Vanney piped up two weeks ago, interrupting a post-game question to refer to Vazquez as one of the best players in the league. The Toronto Sun asked him to clarify that statement in Florida.

“He should be in the discussion, I think, for guys who are very influential in this league,” Vanney said of Vazquez. “A lot of people just like to look at the attacking midfielders who are dribbling all over the place.”

The allure of Vazquez’s game is quite the opposite. It’s simple, yet complicated. The 30-year-old makes decisions — and usually the right ones — faster than any other attacking midfielder in MLS.

When it looks like he’s failed to pick out the safest or best pass, Vazquez finds a better one. He might be the best passer this league has seen since Carlos Valderrama ran MLS in the late 1990s.

“He’s not one of these attacking midfielders that’s always trying the hardest play,” Bradley told the Sun. “His ability to read things and read situations and know when to play simple and just use one- or two-touches is very good.

“I tell Victor all the time that I love playing with him. It’s fun. If I’m in good spots he’ll use me. When I get the ball I’m looking for him. It’s important for our team that he has the ball so we can use his quality.”

Equally as important for Vazquez has been life away from the field. He “suffered a lot” during his time with Cruz Azul, one of the biggest club’s in Mexico City. His family wasn’t happy, he told the Sun.

“The traffic was crazy while living with 21 million people in Mexico City,” Vazquez reiterated. “I say it, and I don’t mind, it’s not safe for the people. It’s a difficult city. That’s why I say we suffered.

“For my kid, to give him that kind of life, it wasn’t what he deserved. I didn’t want that for him. Also, the club wasn’t doing good. I just don’t think (Mexico) was my place. My place is (in Toronto). You feel it.”

Those feelings were solidified two weeks ago when Toronto FC lifted the Voyageurs Cup in front of a raucous, near-capacity-crowd at BMO Field.

“It was amazing to feel that. It reminded me of when I was with Club Brugge and the Cup that we won against Anderlecht. I couldn’t play (that day in Belgium) because I was injured but I felt the same feeling.

“Our fans are always behind us. You can feel it every game. But in this game they were even more. They knew it was important for us and for them.”

The first season of the three-year deal he signed is on the right trajectory, he added, and is bolstered by the comforts of his midtown home, located near the Bradleys.

“I hope I can play here more years,” Vazquez said, hinting he’d be interested in a second contract down the road.

“But my dream is to finish my career in Spain — to play in first division and to finish there with my family and all my friends."

EXCLUSIVE: What shocked V. Vazquez upon joining TFC? Surprisingly, it was something about Michael Bradley: https://t.co/5sm0Rwkl8J#TFCLivepic.twitter.com/YxiXrKuif8 — Kurtis Larson (@KurtLarSUN) July 11, 2017

PUMPED FOR POSSIBLE MEXICO RETURN

Though he escaped Mexico City during the winter, there’s a chance Victor Vazquez could return to the Mexican capital early next year.

Having qualified for the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League, the Reds could be drawn against one of four Mexican sides next February — including Mexico City’s Club America.

“Of course I’d look forward to it,” Vazquez told the Toronto Sun. “It’s a big tournament and a big thing for us and Toronto. If we win that championship we’ll go to the big tournament — the Club World Cup.

“It’s going to be a really great challenge to go and play in Mexico and show they were wrong with me.”

Vazquez struggled to settle during his lone season (2016) at Cruz Azul. His family wasn’t happy and didn’t feel safe.

There’s likely a 50% chance Toronto FC will draw one of four Mexican sides — UANL, Tijuana, America or Chivas — in the Round of 16 of the competition.

klarson@postmedia.com