Neymar named the five players who had more technical skill than him including forgotten Liverpool star

Neymar Junior named a forgotten Liverpool star when asked to identify five players more technically gifted than himself.

For a few years Neymar was one of the best players on the planet, a star who brought classic Brazilian flair to the game in an age in which attackers have less freedom than they used to do.

The attacker enjoyed his best years at Barcelona after cutting his teeth at Santos, and playing alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez he was one of the most dangerous players in the world.

The two-time South American Footballer of the Year then moved to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 for a world record £200 million fee.

In the French capital, he experienced fleeting moments of brilliance, but failed to deliver the Ligue 1 club's most wanted prize, the Champions League.

Last year Neymar took up a fresh challenge in the Middle East, signing a deal with Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal worth a reported £129.4 million per year.

However, in October he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament while playing for Brazil and has not played since.

Neymar has played with some superb footballers over the years, so when asked by Oh My Goal back in 2021 to name five players more technically gifted than him, he gave a star-studded answer.

"I don’t know if I can answer that, with all the humility in the world I consider myself one of the most technical players in football today," Neymar said.

Thiago- Getty

Unsurprisingly, former teammate Messi was first on the list, with Neymar claiming that everyone “wants to play with him.”

Second on Neymar's top five picks was Eden Hazard, who announced his retirement from professional football in October after he had his contract terminated by Real Madrid.

Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne also made the cut, with the Belgian widely considered as one of the greatest players to grace the Premier League.

Former PSG teammate Marco Verratti and forgotten Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara were also mentioned.

Thiago has spent four injury-plagued years at Anfield since leaving Bayern Munich in 2020.

The Spanish midfielder has played just five minutes of football this season for Liverpool, and is set to leave the club when his contract expires at the end of the campaign.

Topics: Neymar, Lionel Messi, Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, Liverpool, Thiago Alcantara

Alex Brotherton

Alex Brotherton is a Sports Trends Writer at SPORTbible. He has previously worked with publications including the Manchester Evening News, GOAL and BBC Sport. He is a football fanatic, but also dabbles in tennis and American football. He enjoys running, cooking and watching non-league football.

@alex_brotherton