Neymar is one of the most talented players of his generation, but injuries and skepticism regarding his a ability threaten to rob the 27-year-old of his joy.
From the moment Neymar stepped onto the pitch at Santos, greatness wasn’t just foreshadowed from the Brazilian forward. No, greatness was expected of Neymar, who became the crown jewel of the transfer market after five exceptional seasons in Brazil. In that span, Neymar set the continent ablaze, winning the South American Footballer of the Year award in 2011 and 2012, in addition to winning the Puskas Award in 2011 for this sensational solo goal.
With his exceptional dribbling ability and eye for the creative, he became a sensation as one of the best young players on the planet. What set him apart from his peers in Brazil was that creativity. The modernization of soccer has made the sport more efficient and tactical, so there was something incredibly refreshing about watching a young player like Neymar juggle the ball and perform tricks with ease. His goalscoring record was just as remarkable — with 43 in 47 games across all competitions in 2012, his final full season at Santos, Neymar showed he was more than just a bag of tricks.
Still, fans were understandably skeptical (keep this word in mind, because skepticism has a way of following Brazil’s number 10) of Neymar’s ability to make the jump. While many were optimistic, when Neymar made his decision to sign with the most successful club in Europe, Barcelona, for a cool 57.1 million Euros, there were fears about his ability to fit into the Spanish league, especially initially. Some were even worried that Neymar was too small to physically compete against the opposition.
These concerns about his size and strength proved to be unfounded. Neymar didn’t look out of place in his first season with a club boasting legends like Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta, scoring 12 goals in 30 appearances across all competitions.
However, with Alexis Sanchez jumping to Arsenal as their high-priced acquisition, Neymar had a chance to shine as a breakout star on a global stage. Barcelona moved Neymar into a regular starting role on the left side, with Messi playing on the right and Luis Suarez, who nearly carried Liverpool to a first-placed finish in the Premier League, leading the attack centrally.
He more than delivered, entrenching himself as one of the top five players in the world and serving as the on-the-ball workhorse of the attacking trio nicknamed “MSN.” Neymar’s ability to beat defenders on the flank off the dribble proved to be invaluable, as he created space for Suarez and Messi. Teams trying to keep Barcelona at bay with the low block would be left embarrassed by Neymar, who could navigate his way around the tightest of spaces before either delivering a delicious ball into the box or finishing off a lightning one-two with a slick finish.
Barcelona completed the treble thanks to their steady defense and historically great attack, with Neymar playing a huge role. Neymar scored a goal to help Barcelona defeat Atletico Bilbao 3-1 in the finals of the Copa Del Rey, but a moment of magic in the dying embers of the match overshadowed the impressive result.
Accused of “showboating” by pundits, Neymar’s rainbow flick became the story of the match. Incensed by Neymar’s trick when the game was well in hand for Barcelona, Bilbao fouled the forward and after the game, Bilbao players, including veteran defender and captain Andoni Iraola, openly criticized Neymar to the media. Even his own captain and manager failed to adequately come to his defense, either sympathizing with Bilbao or chalking up the move to “cultural differences.”
If it was a “cultural difference,” then the criticisms of Neymar’s tricks were, like the criticisms of his size, similar to the type of thinly-veiled stereotyping and prejudices that other skilled Brazilian players have dealt with in Europe. Alexander Pato and Robinho were criticized for their tricks, and the “too skinny” rhetoric followed Robinho from Santos to Real Madrid.
Though the people around Neymar failed to check their own prejudices aside, the free-scoring forward failed to succumb to the pressure. He refused to change his care-free, highly successful brand of soccer because of a few disgruntled defenders, who should have done a better job of defending him if his tricks were so offensive.
In the seasons following Barcelona’s treble, Neymar was just as good, but the pressure — and reasons to discredit him — only increased. When Neymar failed to carry a poorly-coached and over-matched Brazil to World Cup glory, with more fans focusing on the humiliating 7-1 loss to Germany than Neymar’s excellent play prior to the semifinal, a narrative started to creep into the consciousness of fans: Perhaps Neymar was talented but not quite good enough to lead a team on his own to the ultimate prize, whether that be a Champions League or World Cup.
Neymar’s move to PSG was ostensibly a way for him to step out of Messi’s shadow, becoming the star for a top club with Champions League aspirations. For his part, Neymar’s scoring efficiency has skyrocketed. With PSG, Neymar has bagged 32 goals in 33 league games, and while skeptics will point to the lighter competition in Ligue 1, his 11 goals in 13 Champions League show that he’s more than stepped up to the plate.
While PSG have predictably run the table domestically, the focus has always been on finally achieving success in the Champions League. This, of course, has still eluded PSG, though they finished first in an unenviable group that included Liverpool and Napoli.
Unfortunately, PSG will have to make their initial Champions League push without one of the competition’s top scorers. A recent foot injury will keep Neymar out 10 weeks, meaning he’ll not be able to help the Parisian giants against a rejuvenated and dangerous Manchester United squad in the first leg of the knockout stages.
In the prime of his career at 27, Neymar is facing a scary combination of foot injuries and stress. He’s expected to carry his club and country with consistent goalscoring, even steadier chance-creation, boundless innovation and tireless work ethic on the attacking end. Whereas Cristiano Ronaldo and other attackers are afforded some grace when they put less effort toward defending — an effort to preserve their fitness and their invaluable, but vulnerable, bodies — Neymar is essentially meme’d.
Being the subject of harsh memes, of course, is familiar territory for the world-class winger. Images of him on the ground, with fans accusing the star of diving at the World Cup, circulated around the internet, as fans joked at the expense of a player who was incessantly fouled. Opposing teams, especially defense-minded sides like Switzerland, made it a point to frequently foul Neymar, who received no protection from officials.
If he exaggerated the fouls, many of which were harsh tackles that threatened the safety of one of the World Cup’s most marketable players, it was only to direct attention toward consistent, cheap attempts to take out a player. It was ugly and not in the spirit of the game, yet Neymar’s rolling around became a meme and the outrage toward the fouling paled in comparison to the outrage Neymar once faced from his supposed peers when he used a rainbow flick on Bilbao.
The way Neymar is scrutinized by the media, meme’d and, occasionally, vilified calls into question whether he’s treated differently as a dark-skinned, Brazilian athlete playing in Europe. There’s no denying Neymar has faced racism both in his own country, where the conversation around race remains difficult, and abroad (there are several incidents, here’s one of them).
Despite an incredibly impressive list of accomplishments, which includes a more impressive resume than Cristiano Ronaldo’s to this point in their careers, and an outstanding current goalscoring record for both Brazil and a loaded PSG squad, the conversation around Neymar continues to be negative.
With each meme, injury, or ill-intentioned criticism that increases the magnification of the proverbial microscope fixed on Neymar, he moves one step closer to losing the skill that transcends all of his goals, trophies and assists. When Neymar plays, no matter how many times he’s told otherwise after every cynical foul or upset European defender, he plays with joy, using tricks for the purpose of making the game aesthetically pleasing and fun. He keeps the crowd entertained with a level of child-like, laissez faire purity that few others can touch in the modern game.
Hopefully, this style of play, which has already immortalized him in the soccer canon, is never taken away from him, no matter how much the world around him pushes down on his shoulders. Time after time, the two-time Champions League leader in assists has been a diamond after thriving under the pressure.
But bones, joints and ligaments aren’t made of diamonds, and it’s this eery combination of physical and mental pressure that threatens to steal the prime years of a generational talent, potentially turning Neymar into the latest of victim of a cynical sport that has become even more unforgiving in the modern age.