Dani Alves has said Neymar had to leave Barcelona in order to escape Lionel Messi’s shadow and become a success in his own right.
“I think Neymar is up there with Lionel as the most influential player in world football,” said Alves.
“The thing is, he had to come out of his shadow a little. Playing with someone as unique as Leo is the most incredible thing that can happen to you but there is always that doubt in your mind if it is you that really has the quality or if it is him.
“I always loved playing with him but he is Argentinian and Ney and I are Brazilian, sooner or later we had to come up against each other!
“I think you have got a better chance of achieving things individually when you are not so close to a player like him. It was important for Ney’s own development and for Brazil for him to follow his own path.”
“I hardly had anything to do with it, though I was involved when Neymar signed for Barcelona,” Alves said. “I gave him some advice and told him about all the good things I had experienced at the club and in the city.
“It was not like that this time, though. It was just a case of me getting here before him, though there was a moment when he was unsure about what to do. I just told him to follow his heart and be happy. That was the only advice I gave him.”
“In the first half of the season he also scored often, although last summer he wanted to go to China allegedly. He is a great player but he does not play in a position for which we urgently need new players.”
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