Brazil legend Ronaldo on Neymar: "We all expected more from him"
The former World Cup winner spoke about Neymar's attitude and what he needs to do in order to improve
Following Brazil's elimination from the World Cup in Russia, Ronaldo Nazario evaluated Neymar's performance at World Cup for 'Sport TV'.
"We all expected more from him because he's the star of the team. I don't know if it was because of the operation he had on his foot or another problem but I saw him as quite limited on the pitch," said the opinionated former player.
Ronaldo also believes that the injury Neymar suffered in February ended up impacting his performances. "To arrive at a World Cup following an operation and three months out is complicated. To play the first match as if nothing had happened is difficult."
learning ahead of the next world cup
"He needs to learn from this World Cup. He's 25 or 26. He's young, talented and there's a lot of responsibility on his shoulders."
In regards to Neymar's tendency to go to the ground when he's fouled, Ronaldo was more forgiving. "I spoke with him about this a while ago. Five years ago I asked him why he did it and he told me it was so the person fouling him couldn't do more damage." When asked about the memes surrounding Neymar's exaggerated falls, Ronaldo said this is something Neymar will need to learn to live with.
"He needs to learn and control his emotions during matches. He can't keep giving away fouls and risk picking up a booking. He should use that aggression in better ways on the pitch."
