Barcelona attacker Neymar has revealed that his greatest idol in the game is Robinho, and the skill he most likes to use in matches is the step-over.
The Brazilian forward has been in sensational form this season for the Catalans, scoring 20 goals in 25 La Liga appearances.
The 24-year-old has developed during his time at the Camp Nou into one of the world’s most talked about footballers, coming a long way from the tricky teenager that used to play for Santos.
However Neymar has revealed that it’s a former Santos player in Robinho that he looks up to the most, having become enamoured with the winger’s pace and tricks while at the club.
“When I started following Santos, Robinho was my favourite player. He is my greatest idol. Today, I have a lot of them, after learning more about football, but back then I was a huge fan of Robinho’s,” the Barcelona No.11 told Goal.
“I was always trying to do what he did: his dribbles, plays and goals. And I started practising so that, someday, I could become as much like him as possible.”
Neymar has played with his hero on the national stage and at Santos when Robinho returned to the club for a loan spell in 2010, and has learned a number of skills from the now 32-year-old.
Despite the plethora of tricks Neymar has at his disposal, the winger has revealed that he favours one of the more simple abilities in the step-over, as it’s simple and also has a use to it.
The forward added: “When I’m on the field, the trick I like to do most are step-overs. For me, it’s a simple, beautiful dribble that also has a point. I’ve done some tricks that people started talking about. Some caused controversy among people who dislike the ‘futebol arte’.
“But I don’t care about this. I always dribble for a reason and I always head for the goal.”
Neymar will be hoping to help Barcelona secure their place in the quarter- finals of the Champions League when his side take on Arsenal at the Camp Nou on Wednesday night.
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