Rafael: Neymar Needs To Improve Off Pitch To Become World’s Best

Cat:

Related stories

What Europe’s response to a no-deal with Trump could look like

Brussels is preparing for a no-deal scenario as uncertainty...

Oil Prices Climb Amid U.S.-EU Trade Hopes and Russian Export Restrictions

Oil prices climbed Friday amid U.S.-EU trade progress, a...

U.S. Refiners Rethink Crude Sourcing After Chevron Gets Venezuela Green Light

U.S. refiners are reassessing Latin American crude sourcing strategies...

Presidency, Kwankwaso Clash Over Claims of Northern Marginalization

• Kwankwaso: "Tinubu is Starving North of Development, Prioritizing...

Natasha Faces Full Suspension as Senate Goes on Recess

By Abiola Olawale  Indications have emerged that suspended Senator Natasha...

By Oyinlola Awonuga (The New Diplomat’s Entertainment, Fashion and Sports Desk)

Lyon right-back and former Manchester United player, Rafael da Silva has come out brutally honest to say that his fellow Brazilian, Neymar, is not playing to his full potential because of his lack of improvement on a lot of things off the pitch.

Rafael, 29, was national teammate of Neymar at U-23 level, during Brazil’s campaign in the football event of 2012 Olympic Games. He opens up to ESPN, to advise his 28 year old countryman, refusing to be a praise singer of a superstar who needs to hear some home truth.Neymar

Read also: Covid-19: Outrage As Policeman Kills Policewoman In Rivers

We [Brazil] need Neymar, that’s for sure. We need him a lot. He needs to improve a lot of things outside the pitch. It’s important for a footballer,” a concerned Rafael told ESPN.

“He needs to improve a lot outside the pitch to come inside the pitch and do his best. I hope he can do that and if he does, we have a
big chance to win.

“Neymar is not a leader. I don’t think he’s a leader. It’s not him. He can do the things he does because he is good, if he’s focused and concentrated, he is the best player in the world.”

“Football has to be the first option in your life. He has so many things around him. He thinks in his mind.

“I don’t need to do that’ to play well, but you need to.”

Rafael added: “There are a lot of things you need to do. If he does that and someone can put this in his mind – I know him and I’ve played with him – I know he’s hard guy to listen to orders. It’s not good with him.

“I say the truth but sometimes people don’t want to listen to the truth. They want you to say you are good, you are magic’. They want
you to say all the good stuff, but life is not like that.

“I think he needs to listen more and if he does that it will be hard to stop Brazil.”

Neymar is currently the world’s most expensive footballer following his €222m transfer from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017, but Rafael says the ‘Neymar he knows’ has the potential to earn the world’s best player accolade, but only if he can refocus and embrace some vital improvement off that pitch which a great football talent needs to achieve even more.

Oyinlola Awonuga
Oyinlola Awonugahttps://newdiplomatng.com
Oyinlola Awonuga is a trained journalist with skill-set and experience in content curation, content creation, and management across various digital channels . Awonuga is passionate about Entertainment, Style, Fashion and Sports as niche specialties, and she is involved in consistent engagements on various social media platforms, with steady followers online. Her works have also received appreciable recognition from Media Career Development Network, and at her spare time, she monitors developments and reports on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Nigeria. She loves reading, tracking updates on Entertainment, Style and Sports, and staying abreast of global digital developments.

Subscribe

- Never miss a story with notifications

- Gain full access to our premium content

- Browse free from up to 5 devices at once

Latest stories

NDN
Latest News
What Europe's response to a no-deal with Trump could look likeOil Prices Climb Amid U.S.-EU Trade Hopes and Russian Export RestrictionsU.S. Refiners Rethink Crude Sourcing After Chevron Gets Venezuela Green LightPresidency, Kwankwaso Clash Over Claims of Northern MarginalizationNatasha Faces Full Suspension as Senate Goes on RecessGovernor mourns as Emir of Gusau, Ibrahim Bello, Dies at 712027: INEC Receives 10 New Applications, Brings total to 144 Seeking Registration As PartiesAnxieties as Congo's Ex-President Faces Trial in Court High-Stakes Treason, Murder ChargesBillionaires’ Fortunes Plummet, Elon Musk, Mukesh Ambani, Gautam Adani Lose $19.8 Billion in Single DayAkpabio vs Natasha: High-Stakes Drama as Immigration Officers Seize, Release Natasha's Passport at Abuja Airport Peter Obi’s Dangerous Game By AZU ISHIEKWENEFrench president sues Candace Owens over claims his wife is a manTotalEnergies Warns of Looming Oil GlutFrench Company Secures Ownership of DStv, GOtv in $3 Billion MultiChoice Deal2027 Calculations: Tinubu's Minister, Nentawe Yilwatda Takes Over as APC National Chairman, Succeeds Ganduje
X whatsapp