Soccer (Football)
Find out who makes Neymar Jr’s past and present dream 5-a-side team
Ahead of the fifth edition of Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five, the Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil star reveals all about his tough year, Champions League ambitions and his favourite players.
Neymar Jr is back in the goals for Paris Saint-Germain and looking forward to a bumper year in which he's bidding to win major honours for both club and country.
As a new decade begins, the 27-year-old spoke about his tough 2019 with injuries, why he thinks PSG can win the Champions League and reveals two dream five-a-side teams featuring players past and present, as well as four players he wishes he had played alongside. We caught up with the forward in Paris, so here are 10 talking points from our chat with the PSG and Brazil number 10.
Neymar Jr
© Hadrien Picard/Red Bull Content Pool
Taking the positives from a tough 2019
Despite a year which has seen three injuries, including a broken metatarsal and ankle-ligament damage, keep him away from the field for large parts, Neymar Jr has taken the positives from his time on the sidelines.
“It was a year full of learnings and turnarounds. Although it seems like a bad year, it was a year full of learning and lots of experiences. I am taking the positive side of it so that 2020 can be better,” he said.
Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five returns for a blockbuster fifth year
2020 celebrates the fifth edition of Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five with the women’s competition going into its third year. Action gets under way around the world on February 21-22, as the global qualifiers kick off. To sign up your five-a-side team and find out about the qualifiers in your country, visit www.redbullneymarjrsfive.com.
In the past four years, more than 400,000 players from 75 countries and six continents signed up with the dream of becoming World Champions at the Instituto Projeto Neymar Jr in Praia Grande. Neymar Jr said: “2020 is going to be a blast again and no matter if it’s your first time, or if you're coming back, I know you're as excited as I am to get out there.”
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His dream Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five side featuring non-Brazilian players who are still active?
"Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, Eden Hazard and Paul Pogba."
His dream Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five side featuring retired players?
"Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, David Beckham, Xavi and Thierry Henry."
Who are the players he would like to have got the chance to play alongside?
"Romario, Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane and Zlatan Ibrahimović."
I’ll seek new challenges, I want to be in the Champions League final, I want to win the Copa América once again
Why the best is yet to come
The Brazilian hasn't lacked for success at club and international level, winning titles everywhere he has stepped foot on the field. Now a decade into his professional career, he believes he can still get better.
He explains: “Many good things happened in my life already, but I always want more. I’m always seeking new challenges and I always want to overcome myself.”
PSG can become Champions League winners
PSG have made it into the knock-out stages for the past eight editions of the competition and, under manager Thomas Tuchel, Neymar Jr is confident they could go all the way in 2020.
“I think there’s a possibility we can make it. In terms of team and players, since I’ve played for PSG, this is the most prepared and strongest year we've had in my opinion. So, I think we have a chance. Although PSG have never won the Champions League, we're going to fight for this title. We know where our values are and we hope to be in the final.”
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Targeting a club and country double in 2020
As new year’s resolutions go, Neymar Jr’s don't lack for ambition as he sets his sights on dual domestic and international glory.
As he puts it, “My biggest expectation for 2020 is to win everything I can with PSG and the Brazilian team. I’ll seek new challenges, I want to be in the Champions League final, I want to win the Copa América once again. These are the challenges I intend to overcome in 2020.”
Fearless against any rival
When it comes to the football field, Neymar Jr is adamant that he doesn't fear any player that he comes up against, be it the most aggressive defender or the hardest to pass goalkeeper. Instead, his is a feeling of “respect” towards the world’s best.
Singling out the toughest defenders he's played against, he says: “I always talk about Sergio Ramos, one of the defenders I respect the most for everything he is in football. And I’ve played with two or three defenders that for me are one of a kind: Gerard Pique, Thiago Silva and Marquinhos.”
It’s hard to start playing your best in a club like Real Madrid or Barcelona
The two Brazilian stars of the future
While Neymar Jr very much remains the star turn of Brazilian football, the PSG striker talked of a positive future for the international set-up with two teenagers currently blazing a trail for Real Madrid; Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr.
Of the pair, he says: “Both of them are amazing players. They are playing very well for Real Madrid. They are young and have come to Europe recently, so they will have a lot of experiences ahead, they will grow up and will get even better than they are right now. The adaptation is hard, it’s hard to start playing your best in a club like Real Madrid or Barcelona. But both are playing very well, so this is already a sign of a great personality. I’ll be supporting them.”