"I don't think he's in that bracket" - John Terry claims Neymar cannot reach the levels of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
John Terry believes Neymar cannot reach the levels of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo regardless of what he does with Brazil at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Brazil took to the field for the first time at the 2022 FIFA World Cup on Thursday (24 November), against Serbia. Having arrived in Qatar with the hopes of taking the trophy home, they got their campaign off to a winning start.
Two goals from Richarlison, of which the second was a spectacular overhead kick, earned Tite's side a 2-0 win over Serbia. They will now turn their attention towards their second group game against Switzerland which will be followed by their final match of the stage against Cameroon.
Although Neymar did not register a goal or assist against Serbia, he largely pulled the strings for his side on Thursday. He was forced off with an ankle injury in the 80th minute, but is expected to brush it off as he looks to lead his nation to glory.
While winning the tournament would see Neymar achieve greatness, Terry is unsure if it will be enough to propel him into the category of all-time greats. The Chelsea legend feels the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) superstar is simply not as phenomenal as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. He said on BeIN Sports:
"Personally, I'm not sure he can get there. We spoke about Ronaldo and Messi earlier, they are, for me, here [at the top]. I think there are three or four players below that, he falls into that category... Neymar, Mbappe."
"Mbappe still has the potential to go and reach those levels. We'll see whether he does or not. Neymar, don't get me wrong, he's a world-class player, but I don't think he's in that bracket of Ronaldo and Messi."
🗣️ "Neymar, don't get me wrong he's a world class player, but not in that bracket of Ronaldo and Messi."
@JohnTerry26 & @Guaje7Villa discuss @neymarjr...
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How have Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo fared at the FIFA World Cup?
Lionel Messi's Argentina faced Saudi Arabia in their FIFA World Cup opener on Tuesday (22 November). While he opened the scoring for his side, the Green Falcons orchestrated a stunning comeback to win the game 2-1.
Like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo also put his team ahead with a penalty against Ghana on Thursday. Portugal, though, went on to earn a 3-2 victory over the Black Stars to get their campaign off to a winning start.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. will now look to make it two wins in two when they face Uruguay on Monday (28 November). Argentina, on the other hand, will go into their match against Mexico on Saturday (26 November) in search of their first victory.