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Tuesday, 24 June 2014

brilliant neymar proves the world why he is there with messi and ronaldo

Prodigious Neymar shows the world he's up there with Messi and Ronaldo

No doubt the genius of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. While the former got a chance in probably the most popular league in the world when he played for Manchester United, the latter represents the rise of Barcelona. Both were also playing in the Champions League and when they finally came together in La Liga — the Messi vs Ronaldo battle matched the magnitude of Real vs Barca.
In the shadow of these two was Neymar — a name spoken in the same breath but cautiously. Maybe it was because aside from YouTube videos and lucky reruns on television, there was no real way to gauge his potential. Even if he is the 'next best', he never got a chance to show it off on a grand stage the way Ronaldo and Messi did.
AP

This was of course, until the Barcelona move, which resulted in him playing at a top side albeit in a more restricted role on the left — restrictions not in terms of movement, but in terms of creative freedom — of expression.
While he adapted amicably to the tiki-taka system and the demands of Messi for the ball, the signs of potential genius came only in glimpses. He wasn't able to play with the directness that had till then, defined him as a player.
Barcelona's poor season took the spotlight off individual players but Neymar had still not proven what he could do.
So the World Cup in his backyard was his big chance. In the first game, we saw Neymar score with a scuffed shot — at least the monkey was off his back — but he was clearly nervous. In the second we saw him create a few chances and miss two attempts close to goal — unable to beat the in-form goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa. It was as if he was trying to grope with the sudden freedom and responsibility thrust upon him.
Brazilian-born tennis star Gustavo Kuerten was quoted as saying in this Wall Street Journal feature that Brazilians "play with happiness, with emotion, and we have an expression — com o coração na ponta da chuteira." The saying translates to "with the heart at the tip of the cleat."
It didn't take an expert's eye to realise that Neymar wasn't playing with his heart.
But that's not the case now. Heart was all we saw in his performance against Cameroonin Brazil's 4-1 win. From the off, Neymar was making football look beautiful as well as outrageous — his brilliant volley which drew a fine save — his tricks and flicks — his 360 on a defender which looked like it belonged more on the dance floor.
In another move he quickly touched a pass into the box and spun off a defender's back, baiting him to move with him only to vanish a second later. In that second, the Mane Garrincha National Stadium was transformed into a favela.
His first goal was a casual caress into the back of the net — almost careless in its execution. The second bled of arrogance as he galloped across the edge of the penalty area and past two defenders to slot the ball into the back of the net with style. In the match, he took four shots, all of which hit the target — he drove the team from midfield to offence with a few strides, rode fouls and slithered like an eel between channels. The team was playing through him. He had created more chances against Mexico, but there was a certain air of confidence against Cameroon that he displayed that should inject fear in Chile, whom Brazil will now face in the last 16.
One could argue that Cameroon are hardly the team against which one should judge Neymar, but the Africans had levelled soon after Brazil's first and gave the hosts a fiery attacking game.
Like many Brazilians, Neymar honed his skills in the street: "I played with a ball a lot in the street, on the beach, and Futsal has always been part of my life since I was small," he was quoted as saying in this interview.
Against Cameroon, Neymar made it look like he was that small boy shouldering the hopes of Brazil. And he seemed to be loving it.


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