Brazil legend Paulo Sergio in damning verdict of PSG star Neymar ahead of World Cup
Gossip & Rumours
By
Mirror
| Mar 31, 2018
Former Brazil international Paulo Sergio has delivered a damning assessment of Neymar - by stating he should never captain the national team.
The ex- Bayern Munich forward cited Neymar's previous problems as skipper as reasons behind why he should not be given the armband.
Yet the 48-year-old did concede that the Paris Saint-Germain forward had the ability to be the world's best.
Speaking to Sport, Sergio said: "Neymar can become the best player in the world, but he can never be the captain of Brazil.
"We should all remember that Neymar was already a captain of Brazil and had serious difficulties during that period."
Neymar was handed the armband after Brazil's embarrassing 7-1 defeat at the hands of Germany in the 2014 World Cup.
He soon faced criticism however, after receiving a red card in just his second competitive game as captain against Columbia in the 2015 Copa America.
The 26-year-old faced further scrutiny for his poor performances in the opening games of the 2016 Olympics - before stepping down from the role after leading Brazil to a gold medal.
Sergio - who was capped 13 times for his country - did have words of praise for his compatriot though, and offered some advice to Neymar.
He said: "He must understand that he has the future in his hands, and the rest must wait to see how far he is able to go.
"He must focus only on football and forget about other things, he can become the best player in the world, but nothing else."