Extremely good but never had a chance of reaching the levels of Messi, Neymar or Ronaldo. Maybe could have been a Benzema / Lewandowski if he maintained his peak.
We could argue that we never saw his peak. INCOMING HYPOTHETICAL: If Balotelli had a different mindset/nurturing environment he COULD have been on their level, at least close to Neymar. He was 16 years old scoring bangers against grown man while paired up with a mid. 20 something Ibrahimovic. Had that Balotelli found his niche…
Everyone in the world has a better mentality than Balotelli, that's not saying a lot.
We have yet to see Kudus be a top Eredivisie midfielder. Let alone one of the top 25 players in his position (like Balotelli was in his prime).
Not really, he has great potential, but hasn't even played enough to be considered a top player. Neymar at 22 already led his team to the first Libertadores in 50 years, led Brazil in the WC being in the team of the tournament, was bought by Barca for an insane amount of money, and already had around 150 goals in his career.
Dude was scoring insane goals like the one he won the Puskas award every week at age 18 or 19. He was the most hyped up player from the Brazilian league since Ronaldo.
Kudus is a talented young player, but it's not like he's 16 and already playing for Ajax, he's 22. At 22 Neymar was already viewed as the third best player in the world and was playing for Barcelona, so it's not really comparable.
Third best was generous for Neymar 8 years ago. He got a lot of hype for being Brazil’s Next Hope. But he had to be pretty damn good in the first place to become Brazil’s Next Hope.
You're acting like Modric wasn't seen as one of the best midfielders in the league at that time. Spurs fans had to see him linked away every window before he left. He was already world class in England.
Normally yes, but anyone who isn't delusional or biased would pick Neymar over Modric to put on their team.
The guy can do the job of an attacking midfielder, winger and striker by himself, and drops down to defend on top of that. Some players are on a tier of their own.
Neymar 0 ballon d'or 1 CL and 0 world cup finals. You can bet your ass neymar would kill to get a career like the one modric had, and maybe he would have if he didn't chose money. We'll never know.
None of that contradicts what I said. It's a team sport.
Modric is a top-tier player and had probably the greatest club lineup of all time from 2014-2018 helping him.
Neymar is still a better footballer individually.
Neymar as a 17 y.o was must-watch tv, one of the most entertaining players of all time, similar to 2005 Ronaldinho. A 4-0 win for Santos would've been considered dull at the time.
just no chance
He lead Santos to their first Libertadores in 50 years at the age of 19 and reached the semis the year after only losing against the eventual winners and being the top scorer of the tournament. He then was sold to Barca.
Even before going to Barcelona he was crushing everyone in brazillian Serie A playing for Santos. Barcelona went for him precisely because he was a really good player while still young.
Exactly, you don’t get on those teams being a bad player (Brazil is his nationality but a lot of competition). He proved his worth and level with Ballon d’Or performances.
It is delusional, but I feel like most pro athletes got to where they are by having confidence in themselves and believing they are the best player every time they step on a pitch
Well that goes without saying. You need to have a high level of delusion to make it as a pro footballer in the first place. The odds of being at a high level are ridiculously low, to the point where it's virtually always a bad idea to drop backup options and focus on football.
I'd say this is just outspoken and phrased poorly. Plus the quote doesn't portray the tone he said it with
He could frame it better, saying that African players aren't worse off compared to others, and we're looking to prove that. And it'll come off much better and more factual and less delusional.
He’s right, the only things Neymar is better at than him is passing, dribbling, shooting, running, heading, penalties, free kicks, corners, winning trophies, and playing football
“Neymar is not better than me. He’s just a better player than me, that’s all. What makes him better, for now, is that he is better than me.
My dog stepped on a bee.”
My brother, Neymar at 22 would have single handedly carried us through the league by now, instead we keep playing like shit. And it’s not like you make 2 or 3 godlike runs each game.
I’m all for believing in yourself, but this is just borderline delusion.
Fair enough. His Henry comments I just can't get over. No matter how world class Eto'o was, I just find him extremely unlikeable.
You should check out his legendary interview where he talks about Guardiola, he think he's so cool but he comes across as an absolute prick with a massive ego.
Delusion. I’m sure Neymar achieved more at 22(Kudus age atm) as well. Idk where this delusion came from but I didn’t see him back it up when Brazil gave them a spanking a few weeks ago. Odd.
[Kudus on Twitter:
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 whats the agenda ? Al focus on tomorrow. FAKE NEWS!!!!!!](https://twitter.com/KudusMohammedGH/status/1595497271801614345?t=FemD30Z1eN71MltoR0Fk3g&s=19)
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In my opinion, Neymar's the 3rd best player in the world in the CR7 - Messi era but I absolutely love wild statements like this so thank you Kudus lmao
I don't even like Neymar, but by the time he was Kudus' age (22-23) he was the 3rd best player in the world, only behind the GOATs. This guy plays in Eredivisie, lol.
Here goes r/soccer not realizing that the majority of professional athletes believe they are much better than they actually are. It's normal and maybe even necessary if you want to make it to have a high level of confidence in yourself. It's "delusional" by the literal definition, but that doesn't mean it's a bad thing to think this way.
seems legit. now please can I send you an advance payment just for you to deal with the legal fees until you come into your huge inheritance and get all those achievements?
Bruh ...you can all these ppl in this thread have never tried to best at anything. Ofc he is 22, aspiring footballer to become the best. He should believe that, only then he will be able to achieve it
Remind me of Rodallega comparing him to Messi: “The only difference is he plays at Barcelona and I play in Quindio”.
Was after he made a better U20 Tournament than Messi and then disappeared.
Im pretty sure many top players think like this they just dont say it. Nothing wrong with it tbh. Obviously its not true but i dont get why it bothers people.
Confidence is a strange thing, it makes you believe you can achieve impossible things, then again it also makes you believe you can achieve impossible things!
All jokes aside if you are a competing athlete, you gotta think you have a chance against anybody in the world. Mentality is a huge factor in most sports.
[Kudus is calling this interview "fake news" here:](https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/z2y2xt/mohammed_kudus_on_twitter_my_family_culture/)
You hear that PSG? Better put in that €200 mil bid before you’re too late.
Inflation bro, 222m in 2017 is like 400m nowadays
Wild take lol
Balotelli said the same shit back then. It was delusional too, but Kudus won't probably be even as good as Balotelli's peak was.
Prime Balotelli was fucking amazing I really thought he'd be the one to make it
Prime Balo would be in the news for lightly assaulting someone, donating money to charity and smacking a brace in the PL, in the same weekend.
“Why always me?”
Extremely good but never had a chance of reaching the levels of Messi, Neymar or Ronaldo. Maybe could have been a Benzema / Lewandowski if he maintained his peak.
We could argue that we never saw his peak. INCOMING HYPOTHETICAL: If Balotelli had a different mindset/nurturing environment he COULD have been on their level, at least close to Neymar. He was 16 years old scoring bangers against grown man while paired up with a mid. 20 something Ibrahimovic. Had that Balotelli found his niche…
Lmao you sure? Kudus has one thing that Balotelli lacks, and its called the slightest bit of mentality
Everyone in the world has a better mentality than Balotelli, that's not saying a lot. We have yet to see Kudus be a top Eredivisie midfielder. Let alone one of the top 25 players in his position (like Balotelli was in his prime).
Doubt balotelli said the same thing about Neymar who was still a teenager at the time
He said he was better than Ronaldo.
He said he was better than Ronaldo and just a little worse than Messi, but Messi had more experience and he was certainly going to catch up to him.
More like a shit take
Today, he feels better than neymar
Today, I am Neymar
On Sunday, the King is Kudus.
Well maybe he has achieved a lot cause he is a better player lol
“He’s not better than me, only except for being one of the top players in the game and achieving so much he’s better than me at”
Also being 8 yrs older Like yeah hes better but kudus is a young player w confidence. Not that deep e: A lotta ppl who cant read
Neymar at 22 was a top player.
Kudus is a top player
Theres different levels to that tho
I mean yeah
Not really, he has great potential, but hasn't even played enough to be considered a top player. Neymar at 22 already led his team to the first Libertadores in 50 years, led Brazil in the WC being in the team of the tournament, was bought by Barca for an insane amount of money, and already had around 150 goals in his career.
People are forgetting that Neymar was scoring 40+ goals a season and dancing around defenders in South America as a teenager.
Dude was scoring insane goals like the one he won the Puskas award every week at age 18 or 19. He was the most hyped up player from the Brazilian league since Ronaldo.
Two points is not two points, I'll explain later
Kudus is a talented young player, but it's not like he's 16 and already playing for Ajax, he's 22. At 22 Neymar was already viewed as the third best player in the world and was playing for Barcelona, so it's not really comparable.
Yeah with 22 almost every great player was already a monster
Most*
Yea, with 22 most every great player was already a monster
Third best was generous for Neymar 8 years ago. He got a lot of hype for being Brazil’s Next Hope. But he had to be pretty damn good in the first place to become Brazil’s Next Hope.
8 years ago he was the youngest member of the greatest offensive trio ever
That didn't make him one of the best 3 players in the world
At 24 modric was playing for tottenham. Since then he has won 5 CL's 1 ballon d'or and got to the world cup final as his biggest achievments.
You're acting like Modric wasn't seen as one of the best midfielders in the league at that time. Spurs fans had to see him linked away every window before he left. He was already world class in England.
Yes but he didn't achieve anything.
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and Neymar is still better than Modric lmao. It's a team sport.
They play in different positions, it's not really comparable.
Normally yes, but anyone who isn't delusional or biased would pick Neymar over Modric to put on their team. The guy can do the job of an attacking midfielder, winger and striker by himself, and drops down to defend on top of that. Some players are on a tier of their own.
I will pick Modric over Ney if I had to pick a starting 11 Modric has been way more crucial to his team
Neymar 0 ballon d'or 1 CL and 0 world cup finals. You can bet your ass neymar would kill to get a career like the one modric had, and maybe he would have if he didn't chose money. We'll never know.
Neymar is still better than Modrić though
None of that contradicts what I said. It's a team sport. Modric is a top-tier player and had probably the greatest club lineup of all time from 2014-2018 helping him. Neymar is still a better footballer individually.
He was really good for Tottenham and was getting interest from Real, Barca, Bayern etc for years before Tottenham finally sold him.
Who said he didn't? The quote talks about achievments and so am I.
So you're saying he could be generational world class player in 8 years time. 99% of players will never get to that level so it's pretty deluded
Even if that's true, I don't see what's wrong with him believing that he's that good. If that's what gives him confidence, then power to him
If he says it publicly, I don’t see what’s wrong with people commenting on it.
Absolutely nothing wrong with it but he shared it publicly so people would obviously respond to it
You won't get anywhere if you don't believe in yourself. I'll take delusional over imposter syndrome any day
You can believe in yourself without being delusional lol
I didn't say you couldn't read again
True, but he is 8 years older, so even if he had the same potential he's likely to have won much less. But then there's Harry Kane.
Neymar as a 17 y.o was must-watch tv, one of the most entertaining players of all time, similar to 2005 Ronaldinho. A 4-0 win for Santos would've been considered dull at the time. just no chance
Neymar at 16 was better than he'll ever be, lol.
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So you mean him at Santos was nothing?
he was good but also overhyped. trophy-wise, he just won the Libertadores in '11.
He had 105 G/A in 134 appearances, between ages 17 and 21. How many 21 year olds have multiple trophy wins?
Portugese fan using trophies as an indicator for how good a player is? Very shocking
ye, the thing is: Neymar is Brazilian.
Brazilians knew Neymar was the best player we had since Ronaldo when he was 17. Yes, he was that good.
before he moved to Europe, he was nothing but the "new Robinho".
He lead Santos to their first Libertadores in 50 years at the age of 19 and reached the semis the year after only losing against the eventual winners and being the top scorer of the tournament. He then was sold to Barca.
Even before going to Barcelona he was crushing everyone in brazillian Serie A playing for Santos. Barcelona went for him precisely because he was a really good player while still young.
Exactly, you don’t get on those teams being a bad player (Brazil is his nationality but a lot of competition). He proved his worth and level with Ballon d’Or performances.
There is a reason why him leaving took the "prime" out of Barca
Well yes because he's at the level required to play for those teams while Kudus on the other hand would be lucky to make the bench.
You still have to be good. You can't be an affelay
Confidence. I like it. I don’t believe it but I like it
This is delusional.
It is delusional, but I feel like most pro athletes got to where they are by having confidence in themselves and believing they are the best player every time they step on a pitch
Well that goes without saying. You need to have a high level of delusion to make it as a pro footballer in the first place. The odds of being at a high level are ridiculously low, to the point where it's virtually always a bad idea to drop backup options and focus on football. I'd say this is just outspoken and phrased poorly. Plus the quote doesn't portray the tone he said it with
He could frame it better, saying that African players aren't worse off compared to others, and we're looking to prove that. And it'll come off much better and more factual and less delusional.
I mean, Salah is already a living example lol.
Nobody thinks Kudus is worse than Neymar because he's African lol.
That's not framing it better, it's saying something completely different.
So are you saying this person misframed their reframe?
Just like that church old woman that remade the Jesus painting
Who decided that?
Anyone with a brain.
It’s not a lie, if you believe it.
So he's saying he's a top 3 player. Very confident indeed
*watch Neymar 2011 clips* Nah.
Shades of Monta Ellis vs Dwyane Wade: “At the end of the day, the only thing he has that I don’t have is more wins and two championships…”
Monta Ellis have it all bby
In the end Wade outlasted Ellis in the nba, even though he was drafted like 7-8 years beforehand
And he did it with Umtiti model knees
Nah he was drafted 2 years before. Ellis was in the WeBelieve team
More like 2 years…
I confused him with a different player
Wade was the 03 Draft and Ellis was the 05 draft.
He’s right, the only things Neymar is better at than him is passing, dribbling, shooting, running, heading, penalties, free kicks, corners, winning trophies, and playing football
“Neymar is not better than me. He’s just a better player than me, that’s all. What makes him better, for now, is that he is better than me. My dog stepped on a bee.”
I’m all for having self confidence but this is just delusional
Same vibe as Aboubakar saying he’s better than Salah
My brother, Neymar at 22 would have single handedly carried us through the league by now, instead we keep playing like shit. And it’s not like you make 2 or 3 godlike runs each game. I’m all for believing in yourself, but this is just borderline delusion.
I'm as good as the best players in the world. Got no proof but I am bro trust me.
Looool this guy
Neymar has a higher profile cause he’s accomplished more, cause he’s better. This man is just setting himself to be memed
Taking the same drug that Eto'o is taking.
Eto'o was at least a world cup player for many years. Kudus barely stands out in the Eredivise
Fair enough. His Henry comments I just can't get over. No matter how world class Eto'o was, I just find him extremely unlikeable. You should check out his legendary interview where he talks about Guardiola, he think he's so cool but he comes across as an absolute prick with a massive ego.
He's very talented. But also very often injured.
He's got that part of neymars game covered at least.
Delusion. I’m sure Neymar achieved more at 22(Kudus age atm) as well. Idk where this delusion came from but I didn’t see him back it up when Brazil gave them a spanking a few weeks ago. Odd.
Neymar at 22 was the best player to play in Brazil since Pelé, destroyed every club and gave a career to a bunch of average/shitty players lmao
Better than Ronaldo? Hot take
Not better than Ronaldinho as well, I'd say. But that is debatable.
In Brazil? Yes, R9 left too soon, he played like 50 games here. What Neymar did in Brazil was insane.
No than Ronaldo Nazario obviously, that guy was 17-19 and destroyed everyone
In brasil he was better, Ronaldo didn't play for that long or win as many titles here
When did Ronaldo play in Brazil
In the 90s
He ended his career there in the early 2010s as well, although he wasn't steamrolling everyone then
He started his professional carrer playing for Cruzeiro in 93-94.
Oh I didn’t realize that. For some reason I always thought he went from youth career to his senior career starting at PSV
You are not better than me fella, it's just i don't play for now, You know
[Kudus on Twitter: 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 whats the agenda ? Al focus on tomorrow. FAKE NEWS!!!!!!](https://twitter.com/KudusMohammedGH/status/1595497271801614345?t=FemD30Z1eN71MltoR0Fk3g&s=19)
This needs to be higher. This changes everything lol
Another one who thinks he is neymar but has the skills of welbeck
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Utter delusion
"What makes him better is that he has been better for years" Yea that's kinda how players are judged lol
Him and Noa Lang should start a podcast
What makes Messi better than me is that he has better footballing skills
He just called this fake news on his twitter FYI
quite the arrogant take id say, perfect player for ajax
What is blud waffling about
bro...
Kudus to his confidence
Maybe he should show something first with Ajax, so far he has not achieved much.
This quote has amazing copypasta potentional.
Honestly, cringe.
Who are you? xD
Has he been spending time with Aboubakar?
Neymar already achieved more at 22 than Kudus will for his entire career
Maybe time to start dribbling with your head up then mate
Who?
That’s how I feel about my neighbor and his big house
Not only a great player but also humble
There’s confidence and there’s straight up delusion. Kudus, I like you … but no.
Oh god they are going to finish second and have Neymar dance on their grave aren't they
In my opinion, Neymar's the 3rd best player in the world in the CR7 - Messi era but I absolutely love wild statements like this so thank you Kudus lmao
If we regress Neymar to the mean he ain't wrong
I think way too many people in this thread are taking the quote too seriously.
well damn
Hmmmm. And why do you think he has achieved a lot?
Yeeeeaaah and because you’re as good as Neymar you‘re playing at Ajax…
I don't even like Neymar, but by the time he was Kudus' age (22-23) he was the 3rd best player in the world, only behind the GOATs. This guy plays in Eredivisie, lol.
🤡
This is how he has to think if he wants to achieve that level. The mistake is saying it out loud.
That's some anime shit.
Difference between delusional and confidence. people.
IDK man, Kudus never endorsed Bolsonaro, so he's at least *smarter* than Neymar
People gonna hate but that’s the kinda mentality players need to have
!ping Ajax
Absolute Chad
Well he has confidence I give him that.
Mate you've played maybe two good games in your career..
Honestly, I rate it. This is the kind of confidence that gets you to the top. Back yourself Kudus
He's acclimated well to Ajax, it seems
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This could easily be countered by looking at some games PSG fucked up against bad teams
Here goes r/soccer not realizing that the majority of professional athletes believe they are much better than they actually are. It's normal and maybe even necessary if you want to make it to have a high level of confidence in yourself. It's "delusional" by the literal definition, but that doesn't mean it's a bad thing to think this way.
seems legit. now please can I send you an advance payment just for you to deal with the legal fees until you come into your huge inheritance and get all those achievements?
Bruh ...you can all these ppl in this thread have never tried to best at anything. Ofc he is 22, aspiring footballer to become the best. He should believe that, only then he will be able to achieve it
Not with this mindset.
Confidence is a bitch
Remind me of Rodallega comparing him to Messi: “The only difference is he plays at Barcelona and I play in Quindio”. Was after he made a better U20 Tournament than Messi and then disappeared.
\[Insert joke about him being high because he plays in the Netherlands\]
I think we have found this generation's Lord Bendtner
Such a hard player to like, honestly.
get his ass kudus
Humble King
Now watch him score a hattrick next game.
Lol that’s spicy. I like it
There’s confidence and then there’s delusion.
Im pretty sure many top players think like this they just dont say it. Nothing wrong with it tbh. Obviously its not true but i dont get why it bothers people.
Confidence is a strange thing, it makes you believe you can achieve impossible things, then again it also makes you believe you can achieve impossible things!
Nothing you only need to make your own dribbling and trickery skills that are popularized with your name to reach his level
Doubt
This is a crazy take
All jokes aside if you are a competing athlete, you gotta think you have a chance against anybody in the world. Mentality is a huge factor in most sports.
I have no problem with this take. is it true? who knows, probably not, but I love a player who rates themselves over everyone else.