The sporting director of Paris Saint-Germain, Leonardo has warned the sporting director of Lyon, Juninho to stop talking about PSG‘s star Neymar. The 50-year-old former Brazil international gave this warning after Juninho urged Neymar to show more respect to PSG.
Neymar has attracted a series of criticism to himself since he left Barcelona to join PSG in 2017. He was at his best at Barcelona, winning trophies and getting rave reviews from pundits until the French champions came with a juicy deal. The 28-year-old Brazilian football star could not say no to a deal worth €222 million which has made him the most expensive footballer in the world.
Besides the fact that he is the most expensive player in the world, he is also one of the highest-earning footballers who earn over €36.8 million-per-year from PSG alone. He will keep earning this if he continues to stay at the club until 2022 when his current contract is expected to expire.
Amid the fact that Neymar is been given so much at PSG, he has been in the news that he wants to return to Barcelona two years before the expiration of his current contract. This is the part his countryman, Juninho, does not like. Hence, the 45-year-old Lyon chief stressed that Neymar left Barcelona for PSG because of money.
Juninho believes that Neymar inherited the mentality of seeking more money from the Brazilian political structure. He, therefore, urged him to show more commitment and be a more responsible leader on the pitch for PSG.
What Lyon chief Juninho said about Neymar jr
“He moved to PSG just because of money”, Juninho told the Guardian. “PSG gave everything to him, everything he wanted, and now he wants to leave before the end of his contract.
“But now is the time to give back, to show gratitude. It’s an exchange, you see. Neymar needs to give everything he can on the pitch, to show total dedication, responsibility and leadership.
“The problem is that the establishment in Brazil has a culture of greed and always want more money. This is what we were taught and what we learned.”
In the other hand, PSG sporting director would not have any of this, hence, he warned the Chief Executive Officer of Lyon, Jean-Michel Aulas, and Juninho to keep Neymar out of their lips and face their business.
“I don’t understand why Aulas talks so much about PSG, and Juninho now talks about PSG and Neymar,” he told RMC Sport. “It would be better to talk about their club.
“We are not talking about Lyon’s situation and I ask OL not to talk about our players and our club.”
Lyon have been in so much trouble of late especially when the coronavirus pandemic forced football to a halt in March. The French Football Federation decided to cancel the French Ligue 1 and used point-per-game which did not favour Lyon.
Lyon ended up finishing outside the spots that would have given them European football next season. The club tried to fight it through the courts but they failed and had to settle with what they have.
PSG were the major beneficiaries of the system as they were declared champions when the league was cancelled. They are currently preparing to play Saint-Etienne in the French Cup final on July 24.
