Barcelona midfielder Rafinha has defended his compatriot Neymar, and elects Lionel Messi as his favorite for the Ballon d’Or award.
Rafinha’s teammate at Barcelona and a friend off the pitch, Neymar was defended by the midfielder following the recent criticisms about the “provocative” attitude of the number 11. Rafinha gave an interview to the newspaper Mundo Deportivo and complained about European media’s treatment of Neymar. Rafinha specifically recalled the incident where the fans of Valencia threw a bottle of water at Neymar during the celebration of Messi’s goal. According to Rafinha, blaming his friend in a case of violence is to twist what had really happened.
He said: “I think so, Neymar is the victim of a media campaign. There are people that look for these sort of thing, to create something that really isn’t there. But this is football. Neymar has a quality out of the ordinary and when demonstrated on the pitch, for me it isn’t provocation. It’s an art. They have twisted the story. A bottle was thrown and hit Neymar, and they’ve changed the story from what it is, which is an act of violence from someone in the Mestalla. Now they blame Neymar, which really surprises me.”
Barcelona midfielder Rafinha has defended his compatriot Neymar, and elects Lionel Messi as his favorite for the Ballon d’Or award.
Rafinha’s teammate at Barcelona and a friend off the pitch, Neymar was defended by the midfielder following the recent criticisms about the “provocative” attitude of the number 11. Rafinha gave an interview to the newspaper Mundo Deportivo and complained about European media’s treatment of Neymar. Rafinha specifically recalled the incident where the fans of Valencia threw a bottle of water at Neymar during the celebration of Messi’s goal. According to Rafinha, blaming his friend in a case of violence is to twist what had really happened.
He said: “I think so, Neymar is the victim of a media campaign. There are people that look for these sort of thing, to create something that really isn’t there. But this is football. Neymar has a quality out of the ordinary and when demonstrated on the pitch, for me it isn’t provocation. It’s an art. They have twisted the story. A bottle was thrown and hit Neymar, and they’ve changed the story from what it is, which is an act of violence from someone in the Mestalla. Now they blame Neymar, which really surprises me.”
