Ajax midfielder and Ghana International Mohammed Kudus found himself at the heart of some controversy yesterday, as The Guardian published a report featuring a few sharp comments from the player.
The report offered a summation of an interview with the 22-year-old, including his retort to Neymar following their coming together during an international friendly back in September.
As per the report, Kudus gave a spiky rebuttal, saying ‘He’s not better than me. He’s just a high-profile player, that’s all.’
He further added, ‘He was defending his country and I was defending mine. 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.’
Predictably enough, his quotes weren’t received well by fans, who sensed arrogance and a tinge of disrespect coming for Kudus.
However, the tale hasn’t ended there, as the Ajax player himself has taken to Twitter to clear his name.
Calling out the publication for leading with a clickbait headline, Kudus said, ‘My family and culture raised me to respect the elderly. Neymar like Thiago Alcantara inspired us to dream. Just like Neymar I humbly want to inspire the next generation like they did. Guardian Sport what’s the agenda?’
The situation looks to be another case of sensationalism by the English media, and countless players have called numerous publications for it.
It’s unlikely that Kudus’ comments were fabricated, although they’ve clearly been represented in an undesirable manner.
The core notion from the player, as he stated in his Tweet, is a noble one.
However, certain users online took issue with him calling Thiago Alcantara and Neymar ‘elderly’, as they once again found it to be disrespectful.
It’s highly improbable that he intended any disrespect, the doubts are merely a result of some poor wording, which Kudus should not be held culpable for.
Needless to say, the extra noise arrived at a bad time for the midfielder, as a crucial World Cup tie lies ahead.
