Neymar still Brazil’s ‘main player’ despite criticism – Rodrygo
Rodrygo, a Real Madrid striker, has supported his international teammate Neymar, claiming that the Al Hilal star is still Brazil’s “main player.”
After Thursday’s 1-1 home draw with Venezuela, Neymar was hit by a bag of popcorn thrown from the stands by fans, an event that Brazil coach Fernando Diniz criticized.
Brazil fans were dissatisfied with the outcome, and Neymar, the country’s talisman for so long, received the brunt of the blame.
Neymar sent up Gabriel Magalhoes for Brazil’s goal against Venezuela, but he had a game-high 18 inaccurate passes and missed other chances.
Rodrygo, 22, was full of admiration for Neymar, who last month surpassed Pele as Brazil’s all-time leading scorer with 79 goals in 125 international appearances.
Meanwhile, Neymar understands the frustrations of Brazil fans, but he was irritated by Thursday’s popcorn incident.
Brazil finished second in their 10-team South American qualification group on Thursday, with seven points from three games, two points behind World Cup holders Argentina.
Brazil and Neymar will play another World Cup qualifier against Uruguay in Montevideo on Tuesday.
“It doesn’t change anything if he [Neymar] is 31 or not, he continues with the same quality as always,” Rodrygo said.
“He remains our main player. Of course, when we lose or draw a game, the responsibility will be greater on him but when we win, it becomes clear that he is our best player and we depend a lot on him.”
“He is very important on the field and off the field too,” Rodrygo said of the former PSG and Barcelona forward.
“As much as they always say bad things about him, people who live closely with him know that he is totally different from the image that some people have of him.
“And because I have him as an idol, I’m often sad to see certain comments, to hear the things people say because he helps me a lot.
“He is always talking to me. Sometimes I’m at my club, he’s there in [Saudi] Arabia and he sends me a message, he says something positive to me. So that off-the-field [advice] influences us a lot and helps us a lot on the pitch.”