2024-03-19 13:41:47
The star forward’s career is nearing completion
İdman.biz presents an article with a link to livesport.ru.
15 years ago, Neymar scored the first goal of his professional career, hitting the Santos goal in a match with Mogi Mirim in the Sao Paulo State Championship.
A decade and a half later, he became Brazil’s all-time top scorer, overtaking Pele and ahead of fellow greats Ronaldo, Romario and Zico. And while he does a lot of things besides score goals, he is still considered a disappointment, according to ESPN. Is this fair?
Prosecution
The case for the prosecution is based on simple observation. If football was all about numbers, it would be bingo. Statistics never tell the whole story.
Pelé and his followers were undoubtedly wrong to put his career goal tally at over 1,000. The legacy of the “King of Football,” like all great players, is found in the big, decisive matches, the fights where titles are won and reputations are built .
And while Neymar still has time to improve his balance, even he will agree that he cannot match Pele in this area. The ‘King of Football’ has won three World Cup titles and although he was injured in the early stages of the second, he played a fundamental role in the other two. What does Neymar have?
Yes, he won the first Olympic gold medal for Brazil in 2016. But it doesn’t count as a big title. There’s also the 2013 Confederations Cup victory, thanks to a stunning strike against reigning world champions Spain, but that’s still a minor tournament.
Defense side
The defense has simple answers to this. It is not his fault that he began his international career at a time when Brazil, as hosts of the 2014 World Cup, was only playing friendlies.
And his record in official matches is quite good: just five goals in 12 Copa America matches, but four goals in five games of the 2013 Confederations Cup, 16 in 28 World Cup qualifiers and, the undoubted peak, eight in 13 World Cup matches.
Additionally, the defense can be supported by the fact that his participation at the World Championships was heavily marred by injuries. So, he was out of action until the end of the 2014 World Cup, receiving damage after a flagrant foul in the quarterfinals against Colombia.
And his tournament performances in 2018 and 2022 were at least as good as could be expected, given the need to be wary of relapses.
Moreover, the argument can be made that if Brazil had not conceded a shocking goal in the last minute against Croatia in the 2022 World Cup quarter-finals and ultimately lost on penalties, he would have been hailed as a hero for finally breaking through the opposition’s defense with a magnificent solo goal.
Again, a word for the prosecution
To which the prosecution will argue that there is no room in the legacy for “what might have been” and that he may also bear some share of responsibility for some of the injuries he suffered. It’s a strange thesis, but it’s worth considering because it brings us closer to the heart of Neymar’s story.
Of course, when a player is fouled and gets injured, blaming the one who was fouled is simply ridiculous. Responsibility, of course, lies with the offender.
However, in such a contact sport, it is necessary to take into account the undeniable fact that since the advent of the ball, talented players have been subjected to rough treatment. Indeed, modern footballers enjoy much greater protection from referees than their predecessors.
Therefore, the need to guard against fouls is a necessary part of the skill of a talented player, especially a fragile one. For an old-fashioned street footballer, it’s just second nature. He learns when to dribble and, just as importantly, when to move the ball and wait for a better opportunity.
But Neymar is not a street footballer in that sense. He grew up playing futsal and developed a defensive strategy centered around the presence of the referee. He often wanted to show the referee that he was being fouled, so he tried to bait a foul.
This proved to be an unreliable method of self-defense and also often made little football sense – some of his worst stretches of play came when he dropped deeper in pursuit of meaningless free kicks.
It’s hard not to conclude that Neymar simply wouldn’t have succeeded in the Pele era, while the “King of Football” would have had no problem adapting to the modern era.
But Neymar is, of course, a child of his time – the era of football as big business in the global entertainment industry. He was raised from infancy to shine and thrive in this environment, as part of a project run by his agent father.
The prosecution can certainly argue that the process has tainted him and left him with problems coping. From a personal point of view, the biggest game of his career was the Champions League final for PSG against Bayern in 2020, where it was striking how much his game fell apart from the moment the opposition scored. The pressure seemed too much for him.
Again a word to the defense
The defense might argue that the pressure seemed too much because it was too intense. It was clear from the outset that Neymar’s career, at least in the eyes of his countrymen, would be judged by two standards. One of them is winning the World Championship, which is always a collective achievement and depends on the circumstances.
Another is receiving the Ballon d’Or. Brazilians are accustomed to considering this trophy their birthright, but no one has won it since Kaká in 2007. Neymar should have corrected this oversight – an exaggerated and unnecessary prize in a team sport, but still taken seriously.
This is what prompted his move from Barcelona, where he fit in perfectly, to PSG in 2017. How could he become the best in the world individually while essentially living in Lionel Messi’s house?
He should have left and started his own family, and now he finds himself in a league whose athleticism does not suit him, in a club that is making this uncertain journey to unfamiliar heights. Is it any wonder that the project did not achieve all its goals?
The court sends the case for review
The prosecution and defense can now rest while awaiting new evidence. The story is not over yet. There are still new chapters to be written. It would be unwise to write off such an outstanding talent.
15 years later, we are clearly closer to the end than the beginning. But if he wants it and is lucky enough to maintain his current form, then Neymar has another World Cup ahead of him, and possibly two.
Many in Brazil believed that Pele should not go to Mexico for the triumphant 1970 World Cup for him and the national team. Quality can silence critics. If the sight of the finish line redoubles Neymar’s focus, the most interesting part of his story could be yet to come.
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