PSG superstar Neymar snubbed as 1600 Brazil fans vote for their best player currently
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star Neymar was recently pipped by Real Madrid attacker Vinicius Junior in a survey held in Brazil. A poll conducted by Atlas Intel asked 1600 Brazilians the question of who the best Brazilian footballer was and the majority of the votes went to the Los Blancos winger.
The poll comes as an indication of the recent public trends regarding the pair. Vinicius has arisen as one of Europe's top footballers, playing a vital role last season in Real Madrid's Champions League victory. Neymar, on the other hand, has not had a great season by his standards and thus his popularity has fallen.
The Real Madrid winger received 17.5% of the votes, followed by Neymar, who got 12.3%. Spanish outlet Sport added that this is the first time in years that the PSG man has not won the award.
The survey also shows that the former Barcelona man is in the news for more events in his private life than for his on-field performances. He is set to miss the rest of the season with an ankle injury.
There is also growing uncertainty over his future with the Ligue 1 giants. Les Parisiens are looking for a squad overhaul, keeping in mind FFP regulations, and getting rid of Neymar's massive wages could prove beneficial. The player has garnered interest from the Premier League, with ESPN reporting that Chelsea and Manchester United are looking into the possibility of signing him.
Vinicius, on the other hand, has become a superstar in Spanish football. With 22 goals and 19 assists this season, the Brazilian will look forward to playing a key role as Los Blancos chase yet another Champions League title.
Mourinho out of reckoning as journalist names two candidates for PSG job
AS Roma manager Jose Mourinho will not be in consideration for the to manage the Parisians. Writing for CaughtOffside, journalist Jonathan Johnson said that the Portuguese has not displayed an interest in the position.
He named Zinedine Zidane and Thiago Motta as possible future candidates.
He wrote:
“The reason Mourinho has never previously been a strong candidate for them, as I understand it, is because of a sort of historic lack of interest, for want of a better word – Mourinho has never seemed interested in coming to France or to PSG, I don’t know if that’s a specific issue with the project, or a preference for the leagues in England and Italy, or just because he’s perhaps preparing the ground for PSG at some point, if they really want him, to make a massive offer and a massive effort for him."