Former Barcelona player, coach and legend Johan Cruyff I am sure has ruffled a few feathers in Catalan today with his comments that Barcelona should consider selling Messi now that they have Neymar.
Cruyff does not think that Messi and Neymar can co-exist at the Camp Nou and he doesn’t see how they can both play in the same team.
‘No, I wouldn’t have signed Neymar,’ Cruyff told Marca. ‘With Neymar on board, I would have planned for the possibility of selling Messi – and some would agree with that, others not.
‘You are talking about a team, its players, the things around it … There are too many things at stake. That’s why it’s so difficult to manage such a top class squad.’
He added:
‘It’s like the free kicks. Neymar is very good at taking them, and Messi has already shown he is. Who’s going to take them?
‘Or the fact that Neymar and Barcelona are with Nike while Leo is with Adidas. These are situations that could cause problems.
‘We’ll have to wait and see – it could turn out well or badly,’ he added. ‘It’s a risk.’
Asked straight up whether he would have signed the Brazilian superstar Cruyff said simply:
“No, I wouldn’t have signed Neymar.”
Explaining further he added:
With Neymar on board, I would have planned for the possibility of selling Messi, and some would
agree with that, others not. You are talking about a team, its players, the things around it… There are too may things at stake. That’s why it’s so difficult to manage such a top class squad.
What do you think of Cruyff’s comments. Can Messi and Neymar coexist together on the pitch?