No Ronaldo, No Benzema: When Neymar Named Football Stars More Technically Gifted Than Him

• Paris Saint-Germain ace, Neymar, has included Lionel Messi in his list of five players that he contends are more technically gifted than him
• The Brazilian is considered one of the best in the world, thanks to skills that saw PSG break the bank to sign him for an eyewatering £200mil
• Incredibly, Neymar does not think Cristiano Ronaldo is a better player than him, with the Brazilian forward snubbing the Portuguese veteran

Brazilian star, Neymar Junior, previously revealed the five football players that he believes are more technically gifted than him.

The star forward, who is widely regarded as one of the best in the world, was one of the Saudi Pro League's marquee signings when he joined Al-Hilal.

In August last year, Neymar ditched European football and Paris Saint-Germain, following Cristiano Ronaldo's lead to head to the Middle East.

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However, Neymar suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament while on international duty with Brazil in October 2023 and has been sidelined since.

Neymar names Messi among better players

While the forward is not expected to return to action until 2025, his thoughts on the most technically gifted footballers generated quite a bit of debate at the time.

Speaking to Oh My Goal in July 2021, the former Santos forward included Lionel Messi in his elite list but had no place for Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe.

Joining the Argentine World Cup winner in Neymar's top five picks was the recently retired Eden Hazard and Manchester City playmaker, Kevin De Bruyne.

"More technical than me?! Well, more than me… I don’t know if I can answer that - with all the humility in the world, I consider myself one of the most technical players in football today," Neymar said via Sportbible.

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He then mentioned Messi as a player who everyone loved and who everyone wanted to play with.

"I would say Messi, [Eden] Hazard, [Kevin] De Bruyne and [Marco] Verratti. I’m missing one, right? More technical than me… Thiago [Alcantara]," he added.

Neymar discusses his club football future

Sports Brief also previously reported on Neymar discussing his club football future amid his time on the sidelines after very little action for Al-Hilal.

The Brazilian superstar was one of the major signings of the Saudi Pro League giants but an untimely ACL rupture could cut his time in Saudi short.

The former PSG star remains one of the top-rated footballers in the world, having turned out for Santos in Brazil before his transfer to Barcelona.