Neymar's brain works on autopilot, say neurologists

(AFP) - Brazilian soccer star Neymar's brain activity while dribbling his opponents is less than 10% of that used by amateur players, suggesting that he plays as if he had his autopilot on, Japanese neurologists say.

Results of exams taken in February this year at Neymar indicated minimal brain activity while the ace played and pointed to an incredibly natural Barcelona striker's ability. "We found in magnetic resonance imaging that Neymar's brain activity is less than 10% of that of an amateur player, " Eiichi Naito told AFP on Friday. "Genetics may be a factor, aided by the kind of training he does, " he added.

The findings were published in the Swiss newspaper Frontiers in Human Neuroscience following a series of motor skills tests, which were conducted on the 22-year-old and other Barça athletes earlier this year. Three Spanish second division players and two high performance swimmers were also subjected to the same tests, added Naito, who works at the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology.

In his article, Naito concluded that the results of the test "provide valuable evidence that Neymar's brain activates very limited neuronal resources in the motor-cortical areas when making foot movements." Asked if Argentine Lioney Messi, Neymar's colleague at Barcelona, ​​or Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid, would have the same results, Naito said: .

“Reduced brain activity means less load, which allows the player to perform many complex movements at the same time. We believe this gives him the ability to execute his many dribbles, ”Naito said in remarks to the Japanese newspaper Mainichi Shimbun.

Via InAbstract