Playing on Thursday night in Sao Paulo in a charity match for the victims of the Chapecoense plane crash, Brazilian defender Fred finally figured out a tactic to slow Neymar down, at least momentarily.
It’s long been thought the best way to stop Neymar is simply to foul him. The Brazilian captain is fouled, on average, 4.6 times per match — far and away the most in La Liga. However, Neymar has still managed to score four goals and register six assists in 13 La Liga matches, proving that that particular tactic isn’t the answer.
In a charity match featuring a team of Neymar’s friends versus Robinho’s, defender Fred got down on his knees and begged Neymar not to dribble him.
As you can see, the tactic briefly worked, slowing Neymar down momentarily. Of course Neymar still managed to utterly humiliate him with some dazzling footwork, but there’s really no solution for stopping that part of his game.
Opponent begs Neymar not to destroy him, Neymar says he won't and then goes on to destroy him. Savage af pic.twitter.com/WGZOBtjp8t
— Leo Messi (@messi10stats) December 23, 2016
Barcelona and Neymar don’t return to action until January 5th, when they’ll play Athletic Bilbao in the first leg of their Copa del Rey round of 16 matchup.
(H/T: ESPN FC)
