The Riyadh Season Cup could have brought together this era’s classic triumvirate; Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Neymar on the same stage. However, an ACL tear from October 2023 has kept Neymar out till this season ends. The Brazilian met with this umpteenth injury months after signing a $418 million deal with Al Hilal. Nevertheless, a compatriot believes the Al Hilal star can still be the world’s best! Interestingly, Selecao veteran, Rene Simoes showed great faith in Neymar years after he went ballistic on him for throwing a tantrum.

His graceful skills and goal-scoring prowess aside, Neymar has always attracted infamy for his on-field antics. Rene Simoes was one of the first coaches to call out his attitude. Now, Simoes doesn’t want to criticize Neymar, but he advises the player to ‘give up‘ certain things for glory in his soccer career.

Brazil veteran draws a hopeful comparison of Neymar and Kaka urging him to push and become #1!

In an interview with Estadao, Rene Simoes recalled his past criticism of Neymar and also advised the injured superstar. “Focus on what you want. If you want to be the best player in the world, I believe you still can be. There’s no shortage of quality. If it’s not what he wants, we’ll be upset. We miss having a Brazilian as number 1. Kaká was the last one, in 2007,” (translated by DeepL) said Rene Simoes, emphasizing Kaka was the last Brazilian to win a Ballon d’Or.

The veteran coach added, “Neymar, focus on what you want to be. And to be focused is to say ‘no’. You have to give up one thing to achieve another.” Even while being hopeful that Neymar can bounce back, the 71-year-old said he won’t backtrack a bit from his previous attack on him. Let’s recall what happened between a teenage Neymar and Rene Simoes.

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The time when Simoes blasted Brazil’s top goal-scorer, as a teenager

Back in 2010, an 18-year-old Neymar was the face of the Brazilian giants Santos FC. However, the then-Santos boss and current Brazil NT coach Dorival Junior once did not allow him to take a penalty during a Santos-Atletico Goianiense match. Neymar did not like the coach’s decision and got into a heated argument. Moreover, the then-teenager’s tantrums also hampered the smooth run of the match.

This angered Rene Simoes, who was coaching the opposition. “We are creating a monster in Brazilian football,” Simoes said then, referring to Neymar. The Al Hilal marquee signing attracts criticism for such tantrums and antics to this day. His equation with Kylian Mbappe turned sour at PSG because of a similar penalty denial.

1998 WC Legend Questions Neymar’s Place in World Football: “He Was Supposed to Be the Next?”

Therefore, Simoes’ advice to the 31-year-old is indeed relevant. He can still chase glory with a revamped Brazil squad at the next FIFA World Cup. But for that, Neymar should learn to say ‘no’ to things that are less important than soccer.

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