Real Madrid forward Rodrygo lauded Neymar’s world-class prowess for both Paris Saint-Germain and the Brazilian national team.
Over the years, many Brazilian players who have come up the ranks via their respective club youth academies have talked about Neymar and the influence that he has had on them. Plenty of youth talents within Brazil have even attempted to replicate Neymar’s play style.
Rodrygo is among the players who can say that Neymar has had a grand influence on their careers so far. The Real Madrid forward spoke to FIFA‘s official website about Neymar and touched on a story about his dad attempting to defend Neymar during the latter’s time at Santos.
“An absolute genius as a footballer, a unique player,” Rodrygo said. “And he’s an incredible person. In the short time we’ve had together, he’s been a sensational influence on me.
“I was in the youth ranks at Santos, so I used to watch all of Neymar’s games. I’d seen so many different moves he would do and I knew how difficult it was to mark Neymar. I was only 11, but I told my dad to watch out because Neymar would do this move and watch out because he would do this trick.
“My dad had a good game, so maybe the kid’s tips weren’t that bad.”
Rodrygo’s father, Eric Batista de Goes, faced off against Neymar while the PSG star was just kicking off his career with Santos. Many surely began to see Neymar’s world-class potential even then.
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