ionigeria.com Nigerian Newspaper
He is widely recognised as one of the greatest footballers of his generation but Neymar has often attracted a lot of attention for his reputation outside the pitch as well as on it.
The Brazilian superstar has now given a candid interview in which he defended his love of partying away from the pitch and believes that it is a healthy distraction from football which improves his performances on the pitch.
In quotes published by Marca, Neymar said: “This is a very peculiar topic, because who doesn’t like the party? Everyone likes to have fun, go out with their friends, with their family. I know when I can go , when I can do it, when not. Quite the opposite of what people think, that I am immature. I don’t know what I do. If you stay 100% focused on playing only football, in my way of thinking, in my way of being, I end up exploding and that’s why I’ll never stop doing it”.
On his relationship with Mbappé: “We practically have a sibling relationship. I am the oldest and he is the youngest. We play a lot, I’m a guy who carries him a lot on the pitch, above all I ask him to run, to do this … I am very intense, but I always want the best of him. He is a golden boy, I call him the golden boy, because he has a huge heart. Of his quality as a footballer it is not necessary to speak because everyone knows it, but outside of the field is incredible. A cheerful and joking guy, he looks a lot like me. We have to be happy to do that 100%. When he is happy he transmits it on the field to help the team. I want him to be very happy. I hope this year we can have a great season together, we can get several titles “.
On losing the Champions League: “It was wrong. Losing a championship final, plus one in the Champions League, is quite ugly. I didn’t like it. I suffered a lot, I cried … Because I really wanted to take the title for France. But unfortunately this time we did not succeed. We have another chance this season and we will try everything to return to the final, in search of another title that is historic. It was a very difficult game that we lost, we were very sad, but they are things that happen, it is the football and it’s part of it. “
On his mood: “Yes, I am very happy. Something that has changed a lot. I don’t think I can say exactly what has changed, but I know. I don’t know if for my part or for other things, but I feel good. I feel more adapted, more comfortable with everything. I am very happy here. I want to stay at PSG, I hope Mbappé will also stay. It is the wish of every Parisian fan and we want to make Paris Saint-Germain great. I want to continue doing what I want to do. I’ve been doing in Paris, which is playing football, happy and cheerful. “
The forward exploded to prominence during a five-year spell at Barcelona between 2013 and 2017, before he moved to Paris Saint-Germain in a world record transfer worth €222m.
The 29-year-old has netted 388 goals across 615 matches for club and country across his career
