Tag: Neymar

Lionel Messi helped Barcelona get a victory over Valencia during the weekend with a hat-trick. The 3-2 victory for Barcelona could have easily become a defeat had it not been for the brilliance of Lionel Messi and also new signing Neymar. There have been several doubts as to whether the two players can play in the same team, but manager Gerardo Martino revealed that this match shows more than anything else that they can play in the same team without any problem. Neymar was excellent, while Messi was absolutely brilliant as usual.

Neymar set up Messi for the hat trick to get Barcelona 3-0 up in the match. It looked like comfortable sailing for the Catalan giants, but they conceded two goals to Helder Postiga, who was brought in as a replacement for Roberto Soldado. This setup an intense final few minutes because Valencia threatened a lot to equalise and steal a point away from the Camp Nou. Barcelona, though, held on for the victory and they have now won all the opening matches of the season. They are one of the four teams to have this record after three games of the season.

Martino did admit that Barcelona did have a few problems when the ball was played into the penalty box.

“Yesterday there were doubts about the Messi and Neymar connection after their first game together. Things have been solved within 24 hours. It is true that in the second half we could have increased the difference. But at the same time Valencia hit the woodwork and that’s what concerns me most. I don’t think we’ve had a lack of control because we knew they would use their height. I believe that had the outcome have been different, I would still have been satisfied,” said Martino after the match.

Spanish giants Barcelona have told new signing Neymar that he has a choice between taking either the club’s number 7 or 11 shirts when he returns from his summer holidays for his first practice session at the Camp Nou. The # 11 shirt became available after the club announced the sale of Thiago Alcantara to Bayern Munich, managed by former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola on Monday while the # 7 has also become after the arrival of the Brazilian led to David Villa’s exit to Atletico Madrid.

The Catalan giants paid a whopping € 57 million to prize him away from Santos after a pursuit of almost two years and the club wants to recoup as much money as they can from shirt sales as soon as they can, considering the fact that their financial condition is not very stable and have a lot of debt with various financial institutions.

The club has negotiated a deal with Neymar where they will retain much of the image rights for the Brazilian international which will enable them to get the most out of one of the most marketable assets in world football. And it is believed that the club has sought a quick decision from the player in order to capitalize on the immense demand for shirt sales with the name and number of the Brazilian wonder kid on the back.

The 21 year old is believed to favor the # 11 shirt which he wore during his time at Santos, where he became the most prolific scorer in the history of the club since the days of the legendary Pele. Neymar will join up with the club on the 25^th of July but it is expected the club will start selling shirts bearing his name much before he arrives at Camp Nou.

The Santos striker Neymar has once again reaffirmed his commitment to the Brazilian club by saying that he wants to stay with his boyhood club for as long as possible. The 20-year-old Neymar has become one of the hottest properties in world football, with many clubs like Barcelona and Chelsea queuing up for his signature. He was widely linked with a move to Barcelona only a few months ago, but the resignation of Guardiola from his role as the Barcelona manager has now put the move in doubt. Neymar has spoken of his admiration for the former Barcelona manager by saying that he would one day like to work with him.

Guardiola was recently announced as the next manager for the German club at Bayern Munich. It will be interesting to see if the German club come in with a bid for the player, who has two years left on his current contract. Neymar has said that he does have a number of European ambitions, but is not in a hurry to experience them any soon. The player is expected to cost around £ 35 million for any club interested, which rules out most of the medium sized clubs out of the picture.

“He [Guardiola] is a great coach, one of the best in the world, and yes, I have a desire to one day work with him, as with the other great coaches in world football. But I will say it again: I want to carry on playing for Santos. I’m happy here,” said the Santos striker in a recent interview. It is understood that Neymar has a release clause of around € 70 million, but the club will be willing to negotiate a deal at a much lower price. Neymar has been urged to move to Europe by many pundits and former players.

Neymar has been one of the hottest properties in world football right now. He has been linked with some of the best clubs in the world like Barcelona, Chelsea, and Real Madrid. However, the Santos manager Muricy Ramalho is of the opinion that the 20-year-old should choose Barcelona over other clubs when he decides to leave the South American continent. Neymar still has two years left on his current contract and is widely expected to leave the South American continent after the end of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. However, there have been numerous attempts to prize him even before that.

Muricy Ramalho is of the opinion that the style of play that is adopted by Barcelona is extremely similar to the one used in Brazil. Hence, it is extremely easy for Neymar to adapt to a new surroundings. One of the biggest tests for the 20-year-old will be to adapt to a new situation after having grown extremely comfortable in Brazil. Ramalho has said that it will be an extreme joy to see both Neymar and Lionel Messi play in the same team. Lionel Messi is right now regarded as the best player in the world, while Barcelona have been thought of as the best team in the world.

“It would be amazing to see a Barcelona side with Neymar and Messi. Barcelona is a very similar side to ours. The players like to pass the ball around. I think Neymar would be best suited to Barcelona. Real Madrid plays a different style of football. Neymar is destined for Europe after the World Cup. He must choose the club he goes to wisely. The best option for me is Barca,” said Ramalho. Neymar is expected to cost around £ 35 million, while Santos have already rejected a bid from Chelsea.

Dani Alves has said that Neymar should join Barcelona if he is approached by the Spanish club during the mid season transfer window. Alves had said this in one of his previous interviews as well.

Barcelona has to play against Mallorca on Sunday. Talking to the reporters ahead of that match, Alves said, “If Barcelona shows interest in Neymar in January, I think he should accept the offer. I have said that before, if he opts to join Barcelona, his game would certainly be developed here. His inclusion would also strengthen the Barcelona squad as he is a fine, young talent.”

There have been a few reports that Lionel Messi has talked to Neymar. When asked about that, Alves said, “I don’t know about that. But, I haven’t introduced him to Messi.”

Barcelona suffered a close defeat in its previous match against Celtic. This was the first defeat for Barcelona in the last 13 matches. When asked about that, Alves said, “That was only a bad day for us. You can’t come out victorious in each and every match. That was one of those days when a lot of things went wrong for us. But, there is no need to think too much about that defeat. I am sure the team will come back hard in the next match.”

The Brazilian defender had to miss a few matches in the ongoing season because of thigh injury. He made a comeback last week, but, he didn’t look in the best of forms. When asked about that, Alves said, “It’s true that I have been out of touch in the matches that I have played in this season and I am pretty upset about it. I want to be back in top form soon.”