Pele has pointed to Neymar’s relative lack of experience as the only thing preventing him from joining the level of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
The Brazil icon spoke to Onda Cero and after revealing who he rates higher, Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, was asked about his compatriot.
“Neymar is arriving at the level of the best,” Pele said, AS reports.
“He doesn’t have the same experience as Messi or Cristiano. Sometimes people forget players like [Andres] Iniesta. It’s very easy to play on a great team with great players.
“[Barca] is an excellent school for Neymar.
“What happened against Sevilla was the heat of the moment, not thought through. The Coach can do what he wants. You have to understand and accept. It’s gone now, and he’s already scored a goal.”
Pele also reflected on his career, discussing how close he came to leaving Santos for one of Europe’s powerhouses.
“I had many proposals to sign for Real Madrid, Barcelona, Milan, Bayern Munich, but I was happy at Santos and I was only 18,” he recalled.
“When I left it was for a new experience, the [New York] Cosmos to promote football, run clinics for children and to learn English. If not for that, I never would have left Brazil.”
