Heavily criticized following Paris Saint-Germain’s last two defeats once morest Real Madrid (3-1) and Monaco (3-0), the left winger can count on the unwavering support of his partners in the Brazilian selection.
Olympique Lyonnais attacking midfielder Lucas Paqueta (24) came out of the woodwork to defend Neymar. The former AC Milan player then reacted to comments made by journalist Daniel Riolo saying that Neymar sometimes came to training in a sorry state, borderline alcoholic. “It’s a total lack of respect, to say or convey information that is false. Obviously he didn’t tell me regarding it, but I’m sure it’s not true. But people talk too much, that affects us a bit, it’s hard to filter all that. I’ll give you an example: people said it was Neymar who was dressed as Spiderman at my house for my son’s birthday. You can’t imagine what people can say as nonsense regarding a player. There are many things around a player, I believe that Neymar is an excellent professional and that he did not do that”, explained the player of the OL at a press conference.
“You will always hear me say that he is, above all, a great person, a great professional, who has incredible talent and who, without a doubt, is the best player in the Brazilian selection. To have him with us is a privilege. When I have Neymar by my side, I feel much stronger, just like my other partners. He feels that too when he is in selection, we motivate each other more, we give each other more affection, it makes us stronger. The requirement is still there. PSG was eliminated in the Champions League, the press and the fans will point the finger for that. He is recovering from an injury, he is stronger every day for help us in Seleção, I’m sure he’ll do well,” Paqueta concluded.