The most famous Brazilian football player of the last decade and a half, Neymar was in the news more in 2024 for what he did off the field than on it.
Could. He experienced a long recovery from a serious injury to his left knee suffered in a game for the Brazilian team in October last year, which required surgery. When he returned, 12 months later, he suffered another injury, on his thigh.
Result: he closed the year with two games valid for each competition, both for his current club, the Saudi Al Hilal, both for the Asian Champions League, both coming in the second half. Zero goals, zero assists.
Away from the four lines, the attacker, who is extremely popular on social media (there are 227 million followers on Instagram alone, a number greater than the population of Brazil), got involved in a verbal altercation with actress Luana Piovani, and was fined for an alleged environmental infraction. in his mansion in RJ, he sold another mansion, in SP, to the couple Maíra Cardi and Thiago Nigro, he reconciled with Bruna Biancardi (mother of one of his three children and pregnant with the fourth).
Popularity generally means admiration, and I’m sure that the overwhelming majority of people who follow Neymar see him as an idol, an example of professional success, a top-notch sportsman.
There are, however, those who consider him finished for football, or, if not so much, overrated, praised beyond what he should be.
Many readers of this SheetIn fact, they think so. Comments in texts about the number 10 shirt contain unflattering words: “deception”, “fake”, “pure marketing”, “late Ney”, “bad without him, worse with him”.
A poorly managed image helps with criticism, as the player is ostentatious when he dresses (including luxurious jewelry), advertises betting companies (bets), and does not make a point of appearing friendly to anyone who is not “like”.
And the history with the Brazilian team helps much more in the criticism: he played in three World Cups (2014, 2018 and 2022) as a protagonist and left each one without the cup. It shouldn’t be like this, as football is a team sport, but “Brazil didn’t win? It’s their fault.”
That being said, Neymar, who will turn 33 in February, has a double challenge for 2025.
1) Show that physically he is capable of playing at a high level, as he has done for most of his career; If the body can’t respond, there’s no head to solve it.
2) Show that, if the body allows it, the head is mostly focused on football. Who still has goals, victories, titles. That he is motivated.
This is a crucial aspect: motivation. I have doubts about how excited Neymar is to play professional football, whether he has the same pleasure as before.
If he is in tune with football, what does the calendar of the next few months offer him to reap dividends? There are two fronts: club and national team.
In irrelevant Saudi football, winning the national title with Al Hilal is not a big deal. Neymar needs to shine in the Asian Champions League, be voted the best in the competition (in progress; the final is in May).
And, subsequently, leading the team to a historic campaign in the FIFA Super World Cup (with 32 clubs, in June and July, in the USA).
In the national team, being in shape, Neymar will be called up by Dorival Júnior. And, the way Brazil has been playing (badly), it has everything to be, once again, a vital figure.
He is, like it or not, the biggest scorer with the yellow shirt (79 goals, more than Pelé’s 77, in FIFA’s accounts). In theory, you can’t do without it. In practice, only he himself can say.
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