Neymar Jr is one of the best players in the game currently. His skills, agility and dribbling skills are a sight to behold. There is a reason why Paris Saint-Germain spilt cash to win the much-coveted signature of the forward. In the meanwhile, making him the world's most expensive player by quite some margin. There is probably no one of the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. They are in a league of their own. But it is Neymar who comes the closest to their ranks.
It was during his stint with the Brazilian-club Santos that he gathered some limelight. The acrobatic forward was the hottest item in the market and Barcelona came calling. He represented the club from 2013 to 2017. This period is termed as the best years of his career until now. He was part of a deadly trio MSN (Messi, Suarez, Neymar). The trio terrorized the opponents game-in-game-out. Barcelona managed to claim a treble in the 2014-15 season thanks to this trio only. He later joined the French club PSG in the summers of 2017.
While the trickeries look pleasing to the eye, it is not necessary that is effective in a game too. In spite of him, achieving so much in his short career, he has failed to deliver what was expected out of him. He was thought of as a natural replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. And here are some reasons behind this:
Unnecessary touches, tricks and flicks: He became a household name once the videos of him showcasing his skills and tricks started taking the rounds online. He was playing for Santos at that moment. But there comes a point in everyone's life when he should act mature and do only what's necessary. He must understand that he is bought not to be a showboat, but a clinical goalscorer. He is often seen toying with defenders rather than playing a simple pass or a through ball to a teammate who is in a much better position. He is targeted because of pure frustration and not because of any fear.
Doing all on his own: Football is a team game and everyone has to do their bit in order to ensure that they give their 100 per cent in the game. Although individual brilliance can turn the game on its head, it is the team that actually matters. He is surrounded by the likes of Angel Di Maria, Julian Draxler, Marco Verratti and Kylian Mbappe at PSG. Also, Philippe Coutinho, Willian, Gabriel Jesus and Douglas Costa are present in the national team. But, he always tries to do everything on his own. Words like “Selfish” and “Arrogant” have been associated with him. Although he will display some great content for YouTube videos, it is the by-product that actually matters.
Attitude and ego-issues: It's very difficult to reach the top but it is even tougher to maintain it. He was a part of the Barcelona family from 2013-17 before forcing his way out of the club. It is a badly-kept secret that he joined PSG in order to get away from Messi's shadow and eventually win the Ballon d'Or. In a game when PSG was comfortably ahead in the game and Neymar had already scored a hat-trick, they were awarded a penalty. In spite of the fact that the goal could have helped Edinson Cavani become the record goalscorer for PSG, Neymar didn't let him take the spot-kick.
We all know how well can he perform in crucial matches. Can he be more consistent than ever before?
