Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar is a fan of the young Real Madrid duo Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr., urging people to be patient and allow them the time to gain experience and maturity.
The two Br azilians have settled in nicely at Real, with Rodrygo in particular exceeding expectations early. Speaking to Globo Esporte (h/t ESPN FC's Jonathan Johnson), Neymar opened up on his experience adapting to top-level European football and expressed his hope the two don't lose their enjoyment of the game:
"Both are top players. They are showing that with Real, and I am hoping they can win and enjoy their European footballing experience. As they gain experience and mature, they will become much better than they are now."
"In Br azil, people are in a bit of a rush. They want Rodrygo and Vinicius to crack it soon and blow up the league."
"Adapting is hard. It is tough to go to a high-level club like Real and Barcelona, to name just a few. Both are doing surprisingly well?it shows they have maturity and personality."
"I just hope they keep going like this, stay focused, never stop being happy and enjoying football?I will be one of the spectators."
The 27-year-old was a superstar in his native Br azil at Santos before making the move to Barcelona in 2013. Rodrygo is also a former Santos man in his first season in Madrid, while Vinicius made his name at Flamengo before completing his move to the Bernabeu prior to the 2018/19 campaign.
Between the two, the 18-year-old Rodrygo has made the biggest impact this season, despite being the younger man. He had his best outing in the 6-0 win over Galatasaray, netting his first ever UEFA Champions League hat-trick.
Vinicius has scored once in La Liga and once in the Champions League this season. The 19-year-old winger has mostly featured on the left, while the bulk of Rodrygo's minutes have come on the right wing.
Real are quickly becoming a prime destination for young Br azilians.
Per EFE (for AS), attacking midfielder Reinier is close to joining Los Blancos. He'll turn 18 during the January transfer window.
Both Rodrygo and Vinicius have already made their debuts for the national team. They're likely to feature heavily in the team's plans in the coming years, linking up with Neymar.
The three could also meet up in the Spanish capital. While most of the transfer links involving Neymar throughout the summer focused on Barcelona, the PSG man has also been linked with Los Blancos.
According to Marca's Jose Felix Diaz, he wanted to join the club in the summer and shifted his focus to the Blaugrana when Real pulled out. The development of his two international team-mates would add another reason for Neymar to entertain a switch to Madrid.