Xavi Hernandez sees Neymar as "the next n ° 1"

Much criticized on social media after his World Cup, Neymar received the support of his former teammate Barça, Xavi. The Spaniard has swept the news.

The former maestro of Barça gave a long interview to the daily As where he evokes several topics including Neymar, criticized for his dives and his roulades throughout the World Cup.

"It's his way of playing, it's just like he is and it's hard to change. I can understand that this causes problems, some people think that it dives too much but what you can not reproach him is not to have tried or not to have personality; he will always challenge a player or carry the weight of the team on his shoulders and I would prefer to have a player like that on my side rather than someone who is hiding or who is afraid of taking risks. " [19659003] "He is the clear successor of Messi and Cristiano. He is the number one. The Spaniard sees the Blues favorites for a coronation in this World Cup after the elimination of the Seleçao. "I saw them as physically strong, well organized, some insiders told me about Titus. But as I said, this World Cup was very balanced and Belgium played well – Hazard was sensational, De Bruyne was very smart. For me, France has the best chance of winning. "

Regarding his former teammate Leo Messi, Xavi does not shoot the ambulance either. "They tried, they did not play bad football. But when you try to play with extra tension, it's very difficult. I experienced the same thing in Spain, playing with people who do not want the ball, and that creates unnecessary tension. You can not go out on the field and suffer like that. You can say that there is some concern with Argentina, that they have not won the World Cup since 1986. You need a lot of personality to want the ball in your feet, to get rid of this sense of urgency " he explained, before emphasizing, about Messi: " I do not think he is as happy with Argentina as with Barcelona. "[19659005] Xavi concluded that he is not so interested in the post of coach of Spain, while Luis Enrique took over from Fernando Hierro on the bench of the Roja