Santos and Neymar breathe a sigh of relief for having accomplished their mission, albeit minimal, of keeping the club in the first division. With five goals in the last five games, the number 10 was the main protagonist of the final run. Now that Neymar’s sporting year is over, it’s worth evaluating his return to Brazil.
And, before having my own perception, I am fascinated by the divisive power that the player generates in the country.
Just like being left-wing or right-wing, wanting more or less State intervention in the economy or social agendas, just like the yellow shirt, the color red or mortadella, thinking that Neymar played well or played badly seems like something that is part of a political position.
Football is an excellent representation of society. Across Brazil, anyone who identifies with one ideological side (or at least who hates the other side more) needs to reduce their more moderate opinions to fit into one of the increasingly distant poles. With Neymar, the same phenomenon happens.
Anyone who doesn’t like Neymar needs to hope he doesn’t play. Because when he plays, he usually does well. And it is necessary to maintain the speech of a finished, uncommitted player, more interested in the Kings League or his friends, a prince who abdicated the football throne, which would be given to him after Messi and Cristiano left the scene, to enjoy life on cruises or poker tournaments.
Those who defend him until the end see the hypothetical Neymar as the ideal player. Because when he played he did relatively well. He scored eight goals in Série A: one against Flamengo and Mirassol and another six against relegated Juventude (five) and Sport. Going into more detail and comparing with those who scored at least 19, he was the second best in the tournament in successful shots, third in passes in the final third, fourth in decisive passes and seventh in dribbling — according to Sofascore. Not bad. And also nothing super highlighted, as a super player suggests he will present.
Normally, those who criticize the number 10 are leftists and those who praise him are cattle. A herd of haters and supporters, almost in equal proportion, express themselves in each post about each movement of the most politicized player (not by him, but by the entire environment) that Brazil has ever had.
Yes, because no matter how much Socrates had the positions he had or even though Romário became a senator after retiring, no Brazilian athlete had the ability to divide the country into positions as radical as Neymar can.
In a moderate way (which doesn’t make me part of the center), “Ney’s” year of returning to Brazil gives me frustration. Since moving to PSG, he has played in 46% of his teams’ games. At Santos, he played 58% since his debut — a performance that should be seen as ok for someone returning from knee surgery, but in the last eight years physical unavailability has been constant. Performance on the field also fluctuates between good and “could be better with another team that would accompany him”. The question is: what other team will bet on someone who hasn’t played half of their games in eight years?
In February, Neymar will turn 34, half of his life as a professional player. We don’t know if it will go to the World Cup, we don’t know if it can still be decisive in big games. But there is no doubt about love and hate. Everyone has already decided whether to wipe the slate or throw stones at the best and most controversial Brazilian player of the last 20 years.
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