Football
Sam Marsden, Barcelona correspondent 7y

Neymar would not get in Brazil's 1970 World Cup-winning side - Gerson

Neymar would not get in Brazil's 1970 World Cup-winning team or even among the substitutes, according to legendary Selecao midfielder Gerson.

Neymar has developed into one of the world's top players at Barca, and is a key man for the his national team but that would not be enough to earn him a place alongside Brazil's free-flowing front five of Gerson, Jairzinho, Pele, Tostao and Rivelino which led them to the final that year, where they beat Italy 4-1 in front of over 100,000 at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico.

"There wouldn't be a space for Neymar," Gerson told Fox Sports. "In whose place would he play? He can't take Rivelino's spot. Nor Pele's. Would he come in for Tostao? For Jairzinho? There wouldn't even be room in midfield for him."

Not stopping there, though, Gerson even suggested it would be difficult to even find a place among the substitutes in Mario Zagallo's side for Neymar.

"We had Caju, too, an enormous talent," he added. "He played a lot in midfield or as a No. 10. He was pure talent. He was brilliant wherever you put him -- and he was a substitute.

"So I don't even know if Neymar would have a place on the bench in that team."

Neymar, 25, has scored 50 goals in 75 appearances for Brazil and is third in the country's all-time top scorers -- only Romario (55) and Ronaldo (62) have scored more.

He was part of the side which won the Confederations Cup in 2013 and scored the winning penalty as they won a Gold Medal at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro last summer.

Since joining Barca in 2013 he has grown as a player and was the heartbeat of last week's remarkable late turnaround against Paris Saint-Germain, scoring two and creating another goal in the final seven minutes.

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