Xavi Hernandez has hailed his former Barcelona teammate Neymar as an “extraordinary guy” but reminded him to always show respect to his peers.
The Brazilian drew the wrath of Athletic Bilbao players in the Copa del Rey final a fortnight ago, which ended 3-1 to La Blaugrana, after as rainbow flick over Unai Bustinza in the latter stages was perceived to be an act of showboating.
“He should seriously think about how he acts [in the future],” the midfielder, who was unveiled as an Al Sadd player on Wednesday, told Sport.
“I understand people’s attitudes to his [rainbow flick] against Athletic Bilbao in the Copa [del Rey]. Some saw it as a lack of respect.
“Those things in Brazil are accepted, but not so much [in Spain]. He should reflect on it because he’s an extraordinary guy, a hard worker and humble.
“But he has this Brazilian trait, which sees such things as part of the show. [In Spain], it looks like a lack of respect.”
Xavi also explained his run-in with Neymar during Barca’s recent bus parade, a video clip of which quickly went viral.
“[Some players] were trying to remove my shoes and pushing me when I was standing on the edge of the bus,” he added.
“I told them to stop fooling around and that they should’ve been focusing on the fans instead.
“It’s okay to have three or four beers, but the parade was for the fans and to thank them.”
