Neymar should go where he is happiest, says ex-Brazil boss Dunga

Ex-Brazil boss Dunga has told Neymar to concentrate on one simple factor as he weighs up his future.

Published : Jul 14, 2019 15:14 IST

After moving to Paris Saint-Germain in a world-record €222 million two years ago, Neymar apparently wants to rejoin Barcelona.
After moving to Paris Saint-Germain in a world-record €222 million two years ago, Neymar apparently wants to rejoin Barcelona.
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After moving to Paris Saint-Germain in a world-record €222 million two years ago, Neymar apparently wants to rejoin Barcelona.

Neymar needs to put wellness before wallet when it comes to choosing between Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, according to former Brazil boss Dunga.

PSG signed Neymar in a world-record €222 million deal two years ago but reports suggest the free-scoring forward now wants to rejoin Barca, despite the likelihood of having to take a pay cut.

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Part of the 27-year-old's motivation appears to be his desire to reunite with close friends Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, alongside whom he forged a fearsome forward line.

Dunga knows Neymar better than most in football, having handed him the Brazil captaincy in 2014, and thinks a comfortable environment should be his first priority.

"It's important that he chooses where he's going to be happy, where he will enjoy playing," Dunga said. "People don't understand that the Brazilian player is different from the European one.

"We like to play, to have fun, otherwise we get tense, sad... I hope that next season he can give us a lot of joy and demonstrate his full potential. It's up to him.

"He has many qualities, technical quality. He does everything a player needs to do and has matured a lot. He wins fouls now and he likes more to score, and not only to dribble. I think he's in a good moment."

Dunga was speaking at an event commemorating the 25th anniversary of Brazil's triumph at the 1994 World Cup.

One feted member of that side, former Deportivo La Coruna striker Bebeto, has an intimate understanding of the pressure associated with providing goals for club and country.

The scorer of six World Cup goals counselled his compatriot on the even greater importance of living up to his stature back in Brazil.

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"I hope with all my heart that Neymar can put his head in place," Bebeto said. "Neymar doesn't know the size of his name. He has to be an example. We have to talk about Neymar making goals, helping the Brazilian team.

"I'm very supportive of him, because he's a great player and any team in the world has a place for him."

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