Neymar has stated recently that he wishes to remain at Santos until after the 2014 World Cup. However, a plethora of players and coaches have urged the Brazilian phenom to leave his roots and move to Europe if he hopes to improve his game. Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Barcelona legend Paul Breitner are the latest to chime in on where and why he needs to go to the European continent.
"No one knows his true potential. He needs to play every day against players like [Franck] Ribery and Cristiano Ronaldo to know whether he's a true star or not," Breitner told ESPN Brasil in a recent interview. "I'd like to see Neymar playing in Europe, because no one knows how good he is. Not even he knows that."
He added, "Becoming a star only in Brazil is not enough. He needs to prove his class, his level, his skills, where the best football is being played at the moment, and that's in Europe."
Finally, "I find it funny when I read that he wants to be the best in the world playing here. Messi wouldn't have become the best player in the word if he had stayed in Argentina. And Neymar won't either."
Van Bronckhorst noted that Neymar must head to Europe prior to the cup because it will help him develop him game and style heading into Brazil 2014. More importantly, he emphasized that he should go to Barcelona. "Neymar will have to adapt to the style of Barca. Clubs in Brazil let their players play more individually but at Barca it is fast-touch football," he stated.
Neymar has been rumored to be on the move for months and could finally see himself in Europe this summer. Barcelona is becoming the runaway favorite to land the 21-year old with the Santos VP and coach even stating that the youngster would play at the Camp Nou.