Snubbing Kylian Mbappe, Joao Cancelo Names Neymar as the Most Difficult Opponent He’s Ever Faced

Joao Cancelo knows what a world-class attacker is all about. After all, the Portuguese full-back has played with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Aguero, Erling Haaland, and Lewandowski now. Yet, there appears to be a player who impressed the defender above all these names. That player interestingly happens to be the Barcelona version of Neymar. Yet, Cancelo seemingly didn’t seem too impressed by the ‘PSG version‘ of the Brazilian. Why could that be so?

Neymar made a world-record switch from Barcelona to PSG in a transfer worth $242 million. His stint ultimately ended in disappointment as constant injuries hampered his impact. Perhaps, Cancelo might not have been a fan of the move to France.

‘Neymar from his peak’, Cancelo snubs Mbappe as his toughest opponent

Recently, Joao Cancelo was asked about the hardest attacker he had faced. The Portuguese man straight-up chose Neymar. The interviewer then asked about his teammate Kylian Mbappe whom Cancelo faced recently while on loan at Bayern Munich. Yet, he did not back down on his word. The fullback said, “The Neymar I’m talking about isn’t the one from PSG, he’s the Neymar from his peak, Neymar from Barcelona from MSN.” Cancelo knows very well the quality of Neymar. The full-back during his time at Valencia, has witnessed firsthand what MSN could do. Barcelona at that time was arguably the most feared side in the world.

The Brazilian even made the Ballon d’Or podium twice at Barca. However, as per Cancelo, he hasn’t been the same since moving to PSG. At PSG, the absence of a certain Lionel Messi meant the Brazilian had more playmaking responsibilities. This resulted in his evolution from a 1 vs 1 player to a more central role. While he evolved as a player, it took away some of the X-factor that made him special.

Neymar is not the only attacker that has left a huge impression on Cancelo. He had previously claimed an unsung Premier League star as the best winger he faced.

Read More: Joao Cancelo Reveals Why Pep Guardiola Made Him Do ‘Kids’ Stuff’ At Manchester City- “One Day He Told Me..”

Joao Cancelo’s eye-opening answer to the best winger in the Premier League

Speaking to Star Sports Football, Joao Cancelo had previously called Christian Pulisic as the most difficult winger he came across. As per the fullback, “He is very skillful and fast player with quick dribbles.” What’s staggering is that the USMNT star was nowhere near his best form at Chelsea, with just 20 goals in 98 games of the English Premier League.

Yet, he seems to have recognized the qualities of the US captain. Christian Pulisic is enjoying a good spell of form right now at AC Milan. In both situations, Joao Cancelo has snubbed conventional goalscorers like Kylian Mbappe & Mohamed Salah for players with exceptional dribbling skills like Neymar & Pulisic. Perhaps, that’s the profile Cancelo doesn’t enjoy facing.

What do you think of Cancelo’s comments? Tell us below.

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