Neymar staying tightlipped about contract negotiations: “We’ll see”

With the media spotlight following him around at every turn these days, Neymar sat down with beIN Sports for an interview. The South American mega star touched on his immediate future with Barcelona, but wouldn’t budge when asked about his contract negotiations with the club. Insisting that he is “happy” at Barcelona and that the fans should stay calm, he then undercut his answer by saying “we’ll have to see. These are tough decisions to make”.

Confidence: “I’m more confident now than when I joined Barca; I’m more at home now. I’m more at ease and can get on with playing. And obviously the manager and my team-mates allow me to play”.

La Liga: “I think we can retain the title. There are a lot of games to go but we’re in the driving seat. We are a great team and we can get the job done again”.

The trident: “It’s an honour for me to write history with them [Messi and Suarez]. I’m a fan of both of them as players and as people. For me it’s important that we not only be team-mates but also friends. That’s why I think things are going so well for us. We know each other really well and that allows us to play better”.

Are your samba skills provocative?: “I don’t provoke anyone, dribbling past players is my way of playing. I can’t pass, I have to dribble past players. People who don’t like football don’t like players running at defenders with the ball but I don’t pay any attention to them. My job is to help my team-mates by beating men and scoring goals”.

Aduriz said, “Neymar is spectacular but he needs to change how he plays”. Your thoughts?: “Aduriz is a fantastic player, a great forward, but he’s mistaken. I get hit and kicked. What can I do? I can’t hit people. I think he’s mistaken but I respect him because he’s a wonderful player”.

Do you feel persecuted by other players when you get kicked?: “I don’t feel like I’m being persecuted. When a player runs at opponents there’ll always be a bit of rough and tumble. I know I’ll get knocked about when I play”.

Love of the fans: “I’ve always been a huge Barca fan and now here I am. I’m living the dream and I believe I can do even more for Barcelona”.

Will you stay?: “Things are always being discussed, the contract extension and everything else. I’m happy at Barcelona, I practically have everything. I’m happy and fit and healthy enough to play. It would be hard to leave here because this is such a beautiful city, a spectacular club and the players are from another planet. We’ll have to see. These are tough decisions to make. I still have years to go at Barcelona”.

Message to the anxious Barca fans: “Be calm, I’m in Barcelona and playing for Barcelona. We have a lot of games to play in our quest to win the treble and to make Barca the greatest team there is”.

Which player would you liked to play with?: “Pogba. He’d fit right in at Barcelona”.