Brazilian football legend Pele has warned Santos starlet and Barcelona target Neymar to focus his mind on his football.
Linked with a move in the coming months to Spain, with Barcelona and Real Madrid both said in various media outlets to be tracking him, Neymar has received a public warning from Pele.
Whilst also looking to defend the player from any over-reliance he may face with a struggling national team, Pele had some stern words of advice for the 21-year-old.
“There’s a lot of confidence in him, but he’s just a normal player when playing for Brazil. It’s all about Neymar, but he is a player who does not have international experience,” reflected the 72-year-old to newspaper Estado de Sao Paulo this week.
“He’s an excellent player, but has no experience playing overseas. Everybody thinks that he can solve all the problems for the national team, but he is not willing to bear that burden.
“He has not played abroad and European football is different.
“At Santos he is the best player out of everyone, but he actually cares more about appearing in the media than playing for the team.
“He is determined to score the goals for Santos. Neymar has to pass the ball more, and play for the team.”