Joey Barton has never been a fan of Neymar
He once compared Neymar to Justin Bieber; ‘great on YouTube, cat piss in reality’, the former Manchester City midfielder tweeted back in March 2013.
Neymar is the Justin Bieber of football. Brilliant on the old You Tube. Cat piss in reality…
— 👑 Joey Barton 👑 (@Joey7Barton) March 25, 2013
Barton has launched more criticism of Neymar in an interview with L’Equipe, comparing him to another celebrity: Kim Kardashian.
Barton was also heavily critical of Neymar’s performances at the World Cup and insisted he is not on the same level as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
“I think he is the Kim Kardashian of football,” Barton – who now manages Fleetwood Town – claimed.
“Neymar is not the best player in the world, we saw that again in Russia. He is not at the level of Ronaldo and Messi, and there are many other players in front of him.
“Neymar, more than a football phenomenon, is an advertising phenomenon, like the Kardashians.”
Barton is not the only figure in football to criticise the Brazilian for being too focussed on brand Neymar, but he is the first to compare him to Kim Kardashian.
Barton also claimed he could coach his former team Marseille, where he spent the 2012/13 season on loan from QPR.
“I would love to coach Marseille one day. Honestly, I could train Marseille without any problem,” Barton said.
“I know the club from top to bottom. I understand the people, the culture, I know the Velodrome and I know what the club means to people.
“Many Marseille coaches did not know the club. If my trip brings me back there, fantastic.”
Just to hear his scouse/French hybrid accent again, I think I speak on behalf of everyone when I say I really hope Barton returns to Marseille in the near future.
