Former Paris Saint-Germain youth academy product Yacine Adli offered a bold take on Neymar Jr. and Ronaldinho. The 24-year-old spent time from 2013 to 2019, so he crossed paths with Neymar during his stint in the French capital.
PSG have a long connection with Brazilian standouts with Neymar and Ronaldinho, but rather than reflect on their time in Paris, Adli was asked about which is the better player.
While Adli might not remember Ronaldinho’s stint at PSG, he should know the type of player the Brazilian was. Nonetheless, perhaps it was rubbing shoulders with Neymar, but the midfielder believes that Neymar is the better player.
“When Neymar arrived in Paris, he was like an alien,” Adli said (h/t RMC Sport). “Everything he did was extraordinary. Passes, dribbles… he could do it all. Possession, small-sided games… he never lost the ball. He would score 7-8 goals in small-sided games. He’d take the ball, and pam-pam, pam-pam! He was a machine. I’ve never seen a player like that.
“Sometimes, there are debates between Neymar and Ronaldinho. Neymar is far superior to Ronaldinho. I say that with all sincerity. Neymar is too, too, too strong. For me, he is just a little below Messi and Ronaldo.”
During his time with the capital club, Neymar recorded 118 goals and 77 assists in 173 appearances across all competitions. Meanwhile, Ronaldinho made 77 appearances across all competitions, scoring 25 goals and 17 assists for the French giants.
It would be interesting to see what people who saw both players in their primes have to say about this.
