- Kudus faced Neymar in September
- Insists he's as good as Brazilian
- Two could meet again in round of 16
WHAT HAPPENED? The two players recently came head to head in an international friendly back in September, which ended in defeat for Kudus and Ghana. The 22-year-old discussed the encounter with Neymar, downplaying the hype around his Brazilian counterpart and claiming that he would soon reach that level.
WHAT THEY SAID: "He’s not better than me," Kudus told The Guardian. "He’s just a higher profile player, that’s all.
“He was defending his country and I was defending mine," he said of the recent encounter. "I wasn’t about to let him push me around. What makes him better, for now, is that he has achieved a lot. I’ll get there soon.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Ghana will feature in their fourth World Cup in five tournaments when they step out in Qatar, having missed out in 2018. The Black Stars could face Brazil in the round of 16 depending on the two nation's form in their respective groups, an opportunity which Kudus appeared to relish: "We could meet again, yeah? Me and Neymar, part two. I’m sure he would enjoy it.”
IN TWO PHOTOS:
Getty Images
Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR KUDUS? Kudus will be hoping to star when Ghana get their World Cup campaign kicked off against Portugal on Thursday.