Brazilian football legend, Zico has revealed that Neymar has more talent than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
He stated this while speaking on the ongoing debate over Neymar’s legacy.
According to Zico, while the Santos forward is immensely talented, he lacks the dedication to football shown by Messi and Ronaldo.
His comments come after Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney recently stated that Neymar does not belong in the same generational category as Messi and Ronaldo.
Speaking to ESPN (via GOAL), Zico elaborated: “I’m a fan. God gave Neymar a talent that He gave to a few.
“In this world I’m talking about—it’s Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Neymar. They are the three. But the other two are tremendous professionals.
“He was not being one. Football gave him everything, and that is the problem. But talent? He has more than everyone else. For a while now, he hasn’t known how to make the most of it.”
Zico also pointed to Neymar’s injury struggles, saying, “It depends on how Neymar is. Put him to play ten games in a row for Santos, and then you can make an evaluation. But in the last two or three years, what was the period that he played that amount of games? He didn’t have it.
“That is the problem—it’s his health. And his injury problems have been made easier. Injuries increased.”
Neymar, now back at his boyhood club Santos, was left out of Brazil’s most recent squad.
Since rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in October 2023, the 34-year-old has made just 35 appearances across all competitions.