Ghana star Mohammed Kudus has rubbished claims that he criticised Neymar, but has sparked further controversy by saying he “respects the elderly”.
The 22-year-old, who plays his club football for Ajax, was said to have told The Guardian following a coming together with Brazil forward Neymar during an international friendly in September: “He’s not better than me. He’s just a higher profile player, that’s all. He was defending his country and I was defending mine. I wasn’t about to let him push me around. What makes him better, for now, is that he has achieved a lot. I’ll get there soon.”
Kudus has branded that report “fake news”, but now inadvertently risks upsetting 30-year-old Neymar and his 38-year-old international colleague, Thiago Silva. The Ghana midfielder has posted on social media: “My Family & Culture raised me to respect the elderly. @neymarjr like @Thiago6 & many legends inspired us to dream. Just like @neymarjr I humbly want to inspire the next generation like they did. @guardian_sport what’s the agenda? All focus on tomorrow. FAKE NEWS!!!!!!”
