Senegalese international Abdou Diallo provided a nuanced look at Neymar’s career at Paris Saint-Germain.
Last summer Neymar ended his six-year adventure at Paris Saint-Germain by signing for Saudi club Al-Hilal. Since his departure, his time in the French capital is often portrayed as a succession of escapades and questionable behavior. But faced with this surge of negativity, former PSG player Abdou Diallo stood up to defend his former teammate.
In an interview with RMC, Diallo was full of praise for Ney’s footballing qualities. “It was an alien. He played on the left, in the center, at one point he found himself alone up front. In addition, Thomas Tuchel (the former PSG coach from 2018 to 2020, editor’s note) liked the experiences. We had a tactic on Navas’ clearances, we played in support. The little bridges, the highlights, it was a recital! »
“We cannot speak of failure”
Abdou Diallo also spoke about the immense pressures Neymar faced upon his arrival at PSG. “I’m not too tongue-in-cheek, so what I think is that the demands on his arrival are enormous, it’s perhaps even too great for a single player. It seems like he’s going to do everything on his own.”he judged.
The Senegalese international, however, recognized that the absences of the Brazilian star, particularly due to injuries, could have tarnished his record. “Then, what we can almost blame him for are certain of his absences in the sense that at key moments of a season, he was absent for several years. Of course he doesn’t control everything since there are also injuries.”he added.
Despite these criticisms, Diallo remains convinced that Neymar has made a major contribution to PSG. “However, in terms of statistics, contributions to the game, personality, spectacle, emotions transmitted, we cannot speak of failure”concluded the native of Tours.
