Bukayo Saka didn't hesitate when naming the most underrated player in world football

Saka didn’t take long to give his answer.

Arsenal and England star Bukayo Saka was quick to name who he believes to be the most underrated footballer of all time.

Saka has started all four of England’s games at Euro 2024, including the 2-1 win over Slovakia on Sunday to take them through to the quarter-finals.

The 22-year-old ended normal time at left-back after Gareth Southgate decided to take off Kieran Trippier, with the position being one that he played in regularly at youth level.

 

Now, of course, a winger by trade, Saka has already established himself as one of the top attacking players in English football.

That has earned him comparisons with some of the greats of the game in his position – and he named one of those players as the most underrated footballer ever.

Speaking to talkSPORT, Saka said: “I’ve got to say Neymar, you know.

“I think people talk about it, but I think he should be talked about more. He deserves more respect than he gets. Personally, that’s what I feel.”

 

 

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Saka and Neymar have never faced each other at professional level, with Neymar recovering from a serious knee injury when England took on Brazil in a friendly earlier this year.

 

The Barcelona icon is Selecao’s record goalscorer, with 79 goals to his name, and has scored 360 club goals across spells with Santos, Barcelona, PSG and now Al Hilal.

He twice finished in the top three rankings for the Ballon d’Or, in 2015 and 2017 respectively, but lost out to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Neymar pictured after the 2015 Champions League final (
Getty)

The 32-year-old then almost single-handedly hauled PSG into the Champions League final in 2020 with a series of star performances, but they lost to Bayern Munich.

 

He won nine trophies, including the 2015 Champions League title, during a spell at Barcelona, where he formed one of the most fearsome attacking trios of the modern era with Messi and Luis Suarez.

Currently, Neymar is recovering after he suffered a knee injury in October which ruled him out of the remainder of the 2023/24 season. Reports claim that he is aiming to return to action in July ahead of the new campaign.