Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar is an "excellent player" but lets himself down whenever he "tries to cheat" on the pitch, according to Vincente del Bosque.
Neymar established himself as one of the top performers in European football during his time at Barcelona, after being snapped up by the Spanish champions as a youngster while on the books of Santos.
He hit 103 goals in 182 appearances across all competitions for the Blaugrana, helping them win eight major trophies in total, including two La Liga titles and the Champions League.
The 28-year-old spent four years at Camp Nou before deciding to undertake a new challenge in France in this summer of 2017, with PSG managing to secure his services in a world record €222 million (£195m/$240m) deal.
Neymar hasn't enjoyed the same levels of success at Parc des Princes, with persistent injury problems and disciplinary issues overshadowing his first two-and-a-half seasons with the club.
It was widely believed that the mercurial attacker chose to join PSG in a bid to step out of Lionel Messi's shadow and challenge for the Ballon d'Or, but he has been unable to live up to expectations in the French capital.
The Brazil international was eager to return to Camp Nou last summer and although a final deal never materialised, it has been reported that Barca will go all out to re-sign a former talisman when the transfer market re-opens.
Ex-Spain head coach Del Bosque - who led La Roja to glory at the 2010 World Cup and 2012 European Championships - has described Neymar as one of the top five players in the world, but doesn't believe the winger sets a "good example" to the next generation.
"He is a difficult boy," Del Bosque told Mundo Deportivo. "For me, this is not a good example.
"I must say that for me, he is excellent as a player. If you ask me for my world top five, he is definitely on my list, but on the field, he tries to cheat, he pretends a lot. There is also the way he left Barcelona."
Neymar has contributed 13 goals and six assists to PSG's Ligue 1 cause this season, while also helping them reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
He scored in both legs of PSG's last 16 win over Dortmund, but Thomas Tuchel's men may be denied the chance to win an elusive piece of silverware if the current season is voided due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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