During Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo’s interview, one of the questions was Neymar Jr.’s injury history. The French media outlet suggested that perhaps the Brazil international’s lifestyle is to blame for the occurring injuries he’s endured during his time with the capital club.
However, Leonardo took offense to that question and doesn’t believe that Neymar’s lifestyle has no connection with his injuries. Furthermore, Stéphane Bitton shared the same opinion during his appearance on France Bleu Paris (via Canal Supporters).
The French football pundit went on to state people need to accept the 29-year-old for how he is, rather than looking to criticize him at every corner.
“Me too. I want to defend Neymar. We will come back to the last controversy; Neymar is accused of being on social networks at 3:56 am. Obviously, this is not a usual schedule because he follows a Brazilian reality TV show and reacts. I think we have to leave Neymar alone,” Bitton said.
“We accept Neymar as he is, or we do not accept him. From the moment we decided that he was an exceptional player with impressive statistics with PSG, we take him as he is; Leonardo is right. His commitment on the field has been impeccable.”
Bitton went on to say that everyone should enjoy Neymar’s capabilities on the pitch. He added that he hopes the Brazil international remains in Paris for the foreseeable future. Neymar being on the field keeps Les Parisiens on top and a viable threat to win Ligue 1 and compete in the UEFA Champions League.
“He doesn’t prefer to party; it’s part of his life and part of the character. You have to accept it or not. We accepted Eric Cantona with his rants. He’s often forgotten now because he’s a little older, but there have also been some not-so-friendly things that were said about Cristiano Ronaldo. When he’s there, what he brings to the field is great and super enjoyable. There are few players of this quality who have worn the PSG jersey. We must be happy to have it,” Bitton said.
“Me, I love Neymar, and I want to see him continue in Paris. At the start, I was one of those who did not understand how it worked, and now I have decided that we have a real chance to have Neymar at PSG, an exceptional player. Let’s keep it with its ups and downs, but especially with its ups. When he’s on the pitch, he does remarkable things, and he can take PSG to the top.”
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