Barcelona legend Johan Cruyff says he would consider selling Lionel Messi following the arrival of Brazil wonder kid Neymar da Silva Jn. if he were to be in charge at the Nou Camp.
The Dutchman, who coached the Catalan giants to four league titles and a European Cup in the 1990s, still sees Messi and Neymar together as being risky, doubts if their company would be successful at the La Liga champions.
He answers MARCA‘s questions.
What will Neymar bring to the party?
We’ll have to wait and see. He is talented but we’ll have to see how he gets on with everyone. That’s a problem.
Everyone says he won’t get on with Messi. You yourself have said the same.
That’s what started all this about me being against Rosell. It’s absurd: if I have an opinion, I express it. If I think he’s made a mistake, I don’t say it as the enemy; I say it because that’s what I think.
Could the fact that Neymar’s father has walked away with €40 million create jealousy in the dressing room?
It could. It’s like the free kicks. Neymar is very good at taking them. And Messi has already shown he is. Who’s going to take them? Or the fact that Neymar and Barcelona are with Nike while Leo is with Adidas. These are situations that could cause problems.
Neymar should have been brought in and Messi sold to avoid conflicts? Do you agree with that?
With Neymar on board, I would have planned for the possibility of selling Messi, and some would agree with that, others not. You are talking about a team, its players, the things around it… There are too may things at stake. That’s why it’s so difficult to manage such a top class squad.
It’s true that, if the pairing works, its will be formidable…
Undoubtedly. We’ll have to wait and see – it could turn out well or badly. It’s a risk.
Would you have taken the risk?
No, I wouldn’t have signed Neymar. (From Marca’s Interview With the Club Legend June 25, 2013).
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