Neymar Snubs Barcelona’s Pedri as He Names World Football’s Current Best Midfielder

Brazilian footballer Neymar Jr, who is widely regarded as one of the best players of all time, has named a Real Madrid star as the ‘best midfielder in the world’ – and it’s neither Jude Bellingham nor Federico Valverde. The former Barcelona winger’s choice, however, has completely baffled fans online.

Back in his homeland of Brazil and playing for Santos, there’s an argument to suggest that Neymar is the third-best player of his generation, behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. And for that reason, it’s fair to say that he is credible enough when it comes to naming the world football’s best talents.

No longer at the apex of his powers, of course, Brazil’s all-time top goalscorer evidently keeps up-to-date with European football. He last played on the continent in the 2022/23 season with Paris Saint-Germain before moving to Al-Hilal; the 33-year-old is now back plying his trade at boyhood club Santos and recently made a wild claim regarding whom, in his eyes, is the best midfielder in world football.

German‑born Turkish women’s footballer Aycan Yanac – who plays for ALG Spor, a team based in Gaziantep, southeastern Turkey – recently travelled to Brazil to visit Santos’ facilities and meet Neymar in person. When asked whether he has heard of Los Blancos youngster Arda Guler and Juventus wonderkid Kenan Yildiz and his subsequent thoughts, Neymar said:

Proving that he’s a fan of Guler, Neymar then said that he knows Fenerbahce and Galatasaray before claiming to be a fan of Alex de Souza, a Brazilian attacking midfielder who spent eight years of his career in Turkey. Still, online supporters were taken aback by Neymar’s admission about the 20-year-old.

“Proof Neymar doesn’t watch football,” one said in response as another added that Guler, despite being a top young talent, doesn’t creep into the top five midfielders on the planet. They said: “What a dumb take. Arda Guler’s not even top five in the world.” Another, more bluntly, wrote:

“That’s so random,” another wrote before a final fan took it one step further to admit that his credibility has plummeted after making such a statement. Flummoxed, they wrote: “Neymar has lost his credibility.”

In December, reports suggested that Arne Slot’s Liverpool were huge admirers of the 20-year-old, who has already won the Champions League with his current employers. A 26-cap Turkey international, Xabi Alonso has entrusted him with plenty of minutes in the 2025/26 campaign, and he’s plundered nine goal contributions (three assists and a further six assists) in 19 outings across all competitions.