Neymar “likes to exaggerate fouls”, says Mexican defender Andres Guardado.
Guardado has called on referees to closely monitor the Paris Saint Germany forward when his side takes on Brazil in the World Cup last 16. Neymar has been heavily criticized by many football fans following his style of play, mostly during Brazil’s 2-0 win over Costa Rica where he was given a penalty by the match official but VAR overruled the decision after referee Bjorn Kuipers deemed it a dive. The Paris Saint-Germain forward also drew criticism for his reaction to a strong challenge from Adem Ljajic in the Selecao’s victory over Serbia.
Guardado has subsequently urged the officials to keep an eye on Neymar in Samara on Monday.
“We all know who Neymar is, but it isn’t up to me or my team to judge him, but the referees and FIFA. Now there’s VAR they need to watch his style and know how to manage it. We know he likes to exaggerate fouls, throw himself on the ground a lot, but that’s his style of play and the person who needs to stop that is the referee, not us,” he said.
Guardado feels optimistic of reaching the quarter-finals, despite Mexico having failed to beat Brazil in any of their four previous encounters at the World Cup.
“There’s no greater memory than making history with a fifth match. We’re different players in terms of the mental aspect, but we know we’ll be judged by whether we get through or not,” he added.
“What greater motivation could you need when we face off against the five-time champions in the game of our lives? It’s the perfect scene. It’s the biggest game of our lives.”