“I'm still writing my own story”- Neymar writes off claims that he is the second best Brazilian after Pele
What is the story?
PSG superstar Neymar has downplayed claims that he is the best Brazilian ever to grace the beautiful game since Pelé.
The 27-year-old Brazilian was really modest about his place in the nation’s history and confessed that each of the Samba stars have played a crucial role in Brazil’s history in the “post- Pelé era”.
In case you didn’t know….
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known as Pelé is considered to be not only the greatest Selecao star ever but also one of the greatest of all time if not the best.
The all-time leading goal scorer for Brazil with 77 goals in 92 appearances is worshiped throughout his own country. In his tenure as a Brazil international, the Santos superstar led the nation to three FIFA World Cup titles.
Just like the living legend, Neymar also made his name in his early Santos days. The Brazilian wonderkid first tasted his success at the international stage in the 2013 Confederations Cup in his own backyard where they beat a strong Spain side 3-0 at the famous Maracanã stadium.
Neymar’s dream of lifting the World Cup at their home soil in 2014 faded away after a nasty tackle from Colombian defender Zúñiga which broke Neymar’s vertebra along with his World Cup dream.
Though Neymar led Brazil to the Olympic gold in the summer of 2016 but his antiques and play acting are the main topics for discussions in the 2018 Russia World Cup, where Brazil suffered a 1-2 loss against Belgium at the last-eight stage.
The heart of the matter…
In a recent interview with DAZN via Goal, the Selecao ace downplayed all the claims about his second-positional status of being the best Brazilian after Pelé.
"I can't really decide who the second or first best player is after Pele," Neymar said.
"For me, we are all important. In the past I've said that every one of us has made history, everyone played in a different way and everyone has been important at a certain moment.”
He added,
"There are names that will forever remain etched in history, there will always be important Brazilians in football. Ronaldo, Romario, Ronaldinho Gaucho, Kaka, Zico, Rivaldo - I could go on forever.”
What’s Next?
Neymar is now recovering from his metatarsal injury which he suffered while playing for PSG back in January. He is expected to be fit before the 2019 Copa America which will be played on his home soil.