Spain boss Vicente del Bosque has praised Brazil attacker Neymar as Goal.com published extracts from Luca Caiol’s book Neymar: The Making Of The World’s Greatest New Number 10.
The book about the Barcelona ace charts his successful rise from prodigious youngster at Santos to the leading star of Brazilian football.
The World Cup winning boss noted Neymar’s extraordinary dribbling ability as one of his key attributes and went on to explain how he dribbles better than Ronaldo.
“I like Neymar. He is one of those players who you do not see very often. He is heir to the Brazilian footballing tradition that was starting to fade,” del Bosque said.
“It is not that common nowadays to see a footballer who is able to take someone on his own and dribble with flair and nimble footwork.
“He is an important player because when a team finds itself having to play against an overly defensive team, with too many players behind the ball, he can open things up and sort things out.”
The Spain boss believes Neymar is similar to Argentina superstar Lionel Messi, he said: “Neymar is ambidextrous, he is a goleador, always in the right place, open on the left side; he is able to get out of tricky situations on that side.
“I am not saying he cannot play in another position but that is his best position. Just like Messi, who started on the wings and then moved to a fake number 9 position.”
In conclusion, del Bosque said: “Cristiano Ronaldo is less creative than Neymar and Messi and is less confident in close-quarter dribbling. He needs room to play.
“He does not have the repertoire of Neymar, who is lighter, but is still awe-inspiring.”
