Neymar says he would prefer Lionel Messi's left leg to Cristiano Ronaldo's right
Neymar predictably picked his Barcelona team-mate Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo when he was asked whether he would prefer Messi’s left peg or Ronaldo’s right. Neymar also did not shy away from giving his own talented feet a bit of praise.
Speaking in an interview with UOL journalist Mauro Beting, Neymar said:
“With all due respect to Cristiano’s right foot, I’d have to go with Messi’s left peg. But I don’t have a bad right foot myself either”
Neymar, however, was much more guarded in choosing between Pele and Messi. He dodged the tricky question by saying that he had not seen enough of his countryman to make a proper comparison.
“Unfortunately I’ve never seen Pelé in action. Growing up my granddad and dad would tell me how great he was. It’s a very tricky question because I’ve only seen Messi play. Both of them are geniuses”, he added.
When Neymar was asked his opinion on whom he would like to see winning, Real Madrid or Manchester City, Neymar surprisingly went for Barcelona’s fierce rivals:
“I’d prefer to see Real Madrid win than Man City”.
Neymar is one of those rare few stars who has won both the Copa Libertadores and the Champions League and when he was asked which competition he preferred, Neymar said:
“The Libertadores is sensational but the Champions League… the first time I heard the anthem was a really special feeling. It’s like being in a videogame; it’s living the dream of every child. That’s why I’m picking the Champions League”.
Reports say Neymar has signed pre-contract with Barcelona
Barcelona striker Neymar Jr. has signed a pre-contract with the Catalans, according to various sources in Spain. The Brazilian virtuoso has been in contractual negations with Barcelona since the season began, and the complex deal has finally made a progressive step, if the Spanish press are to be believed.
According to Spanish radio network Cadena Cope, Neymar has signed a ‘pre-contract’ that will keep him at the club until 2021, which amounts to a three-year extension on his current deal. The Brazilian has put his signature on a ‘letter of intent’ that is not legally binding, but has clauses that could be finalized in the formal contract Neymar might eventually sign.
The Spanish radio show El Partido de las 12 reported further details, saying that wages and bonus clauses haven’t been finalized, but the framework for those talks has been laid out. The three-year extension to Neymar’s current deal, which runs out in 2018, guarantees the striker a rise in his salary, although the extent to which that can occur has yet to be discussed.
Barcelona will have to tread carefully, as any high wages will see them cross their salary cap, which will mean they might have to offload many players from their squad.