Barcelona‘s teenage star Lamine Yamal has finally had the opportunity to get to know his “idol” Neymar as he holidays in Brazil during the off-season.
In videos shared on social media, Yamal and Neymar can be seen playing footvolley, driving around in a golf buggy and relaxing by a swimming pool.
Neymar shared one clip of the duo on Friday, with Yamal commenting “My brother.”
Yamal, 17, has spent time in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro this week, where he has also hung out with surfing world champion Gabriel Medina.
After an exhausting season for club and country, which ended with Spain‘s defeat to Portugal in the UEFA Nations League final on June 8, Yamal now has the summer off due to Barça’s failure to qualify for the Club World Cup.
Former Barça forward Neymar, who is back in Brazil playing for boyhood club Santos at the age of 33, also has some down time due to the Brasileiro pausing for the Club World Cup.
Yamal was six years old when Neymar joined Barça from Santos and, while he rates Lionel Messi as the best ever, he has always said that the Brazilian was the player he most enjoyed watching due to his style on the pitch.
“I was seven when I first saw him play in person at Camp Nou and it was incredible to see him,” Yamal told CNN in an interview earlier this year.
“It’s true that Messi was there, who was also incredible, but Neymar was something totally different. He has always been my idol. He’s a star, a football legend,” Yamal added.
In an interview with ESPN in April, he also spoke about growing up “wearing Neymar’s shirts,” with the Brazil international eventually leaving Barça for Paris Saint-Germain in a world-record €222 million ($255.8m) transfer in 2017.
Yamal is enjoying some much-needed rest after a brilliant season with Barça, which ended with the LaLiga title, a Copa del Rey trophy and success in the Spanish Supercopa.
He scored 18 goals and provided 25 assists in 55 appearances for his club last season, propelling himself into the conversation to win the Ballon d’Or.
His performances have also seen him compared to both Messi and Neymar, with ex-Barça winger Gerard Deulofeu calling him a “fusion” of the two, while his decision to dye his hair blond before the Copa final this year was also said to have been inspired by Neymar.
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