Neymar is considered as among the most valuable footballers in the world and he is a solid candidate to take the place of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. However, the Brazilian superstar appears to be lacking the professionalism that catapulted both Messi and Ronaldo to their current status, said a compatriot of the PSG striker.
According to Zico, Neymar has to get rid of the distractions that hamper his growth as a player. While the Brazil international has been impressive so far with Paris Saint-Germain, clocking 80 appearances so far with 69 goals, Zico is convinced his fellow Brazilian has yet to reach his full potential.
"I really like Ney, his way of playing is incredible. But he has to be more professional like Ronaldo and Messi, who live for football," Goal reported the Brazilian legend as saying.
Good things are working out for Neymar as he is part of an elite club and according to Zico, the 28-year-old can certainly replicate what he did for Barcelona in PSG, like leading the Parisians to a Champions League title. Strangely though, something is holding back Neymar such as the controversies that continue to hound and his polarizing effect.
"Ney has too many thoughts that distract him. I spoke to him recently and asked him to be more professional," Zico shared.
The Brazilian added that Neymar taking after Messi and Ronaldo, which is the younger superstar getting inspiration from his seniors' well-established professionalism, should lead to greater. It is not remote that apart from winning club and international honors, Neymar can dream of winning the same number of Ballon d'Or awards bestowed to two GOAT candidates.
The Barca captain, for instance, boasts of six trophies while the Juventus star counts five on his collection. For Neymar to even match what these two have achieved so far, he has to be more focused and more professional, Zico said.
Meanwhile, The Sun reported that Neymar's rumored reunion with Barcelona could be realized soon if a swap deal with PSG is finalized. The proposal from Camp Nou is for the Parisians to shave off the £135 million attached to the attacker in exchange for an equally high-profile player.
The Spanish side is hoping that by sending Antoine Griezmann to Parc des Princes, the PSG board will greenlight the summer transfer of Neymar and at a significantly discounted price.
Per the same report, Barcelona has placed a value of £88 million on the French superstar and the club is optimistic that PSG will deduct the same amount on Neymar's return ticket to Spanish football.
Reports said bringing back Neymar to the Barcelona side is a top priority by the Catalan giants and the club has made key players available for selling to generate the funds needed to buy back the Brazilian striker.
