Minutes 90+7, Neymar received a pass from Luis Suarez and hit a left foot shot to defeat Gianluigi Buffon, officially making Barcelona the new king of European football. It was not the most memorable moment of Neymar’s career, but it was the Brazilian striker’s affirmation of a young star capable of succeeding Messi or Ronaldo to stand on top of the world.
With 10 goals in the continental arena, Neymar became the first name after Kaka season 06/07 to break the unique position of the Si-Ro couple in the Champions League top scorer race. It was expected that Neymar would follow in the footsteps of his elder brother Kaka to one day win the prestigious Golden Ball. Brazil’s fans are probably even more ambitious than that when they expect a new Pele to appear and lead Brazil to win the World Cup. At the age of 23, Neymar is like a prince just waiting for the official coronation day.
That prospect is probably only looming in the minds of fans on the day Neymar leaves for the Middle East. That dream-like 14/15 season turned out to be Neymar’s best memories in the old continent. Throughout the years that followed, Neymar still had moments of genius, still had matches that clearly showed the stature of a great player, but never maintained the consistent performance to become a star. brightest.
Miracle, myth, unbelievable. The cules must still have not forgotten the feeling of dying and coming back to life after Barcelona’s unbelievable comeback against PSG in the 1/8 Champions League round. In the action movie choking until the last minute, Neymar is the main actor with 2 goals, earns 1 pen and is the one who launched the decisive pass for Sergi Roberto to finish the opponent. But in the newspapers the next day, the image of Messi celebrating in front of a forest of fans took up the front page.
Many people say that is when Neymar thought he needed to get out of the shadow of his brother. He chose to leave to truly become the main protagonist, so that he could reach out and stand on par with great people. But as it turns out, Paris is the place to bury the samba that once made fans fall in love. The constant injuries, the boos in the stands, and the all-night parties all made Neymar’s career forever impossible to take off to new heights.
People blame Neymar for wasting his God-given talent, that he lacked the courage to be great. That may be partly true, but it may also be just one of the countless injustices that Neymar has suffered from public opinion. If he wasn’t a devout believer, Neymar wouldn’t have celebrated every championship with a banner with the words “100% Jesus” on his forehead. If it weren’t for the bravery, Neymar would not have been able to get up from the 1-7 defeat to the Germans in the 2014 World Cup to help Brazil avenge against the Tank in the Olympics final two years later.
If you look at the list of achievements, Neymar’s career is almost complete. At the age of 24, he won every title with a European team and became the hero of the Brazilian nation. But perhaps those great expectations are also a misfortune of Neymar. He became the hope for Brazil to cling to in an era of scarcity of talent, considered the best individual for the generation of players after the Si-Ro era, and a top name for full-fledged titles. the smell of drama in the newspapers.
People don’t regret Neymar’s career, nor do they regret his decision to go to Saudi Arabia. The player himself born in 1992 also confessed that both he and his family felt happy when receiving an offer from Al Hilal. One only regrets a prince who cannot reach the throne and holds a scepter in his hand, regrets something that should have become greater.
But anyway, the people of Riyadh are still welcoming Neymar Jr as a true king. No more boos at the Parc des Princes, no more paparazzi waiting 24/7. Neymar has finally been freed from the pressures that have been weighing on his mind for so long to enjoy the joy of playing football.
And who knows, when the legs are relaxed and the familiar samba dance begins, we will meet again in Europe one day soon…
