The natural successor: Has Neymar blown it?

Pretty much ends his top level career, think he'll fade out like Eden Hazard did.

Brazil very optimistic if they think he has any chance of playing the Copa America. He's had his era and they need to start building around other attackers even if it will take time to get the same productivity.

Martinelli wasn't in this squad so immediately that's someone you get back in and give a serious run of 4-5 starts.
 
FootballHQ said:
Pretty much ends his top level career, think he'll fade out like Eden Hazard did.

Brazil very optimistic if they think he has any chance of playing the Copa America. He's had his era and they need to start building around other attackers even if it will take time to get the same productivity.

Martinelli wasn't in this squad so immediately that's someone you get back in and give a serious run of 4-5 starts.
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Not ahead of Vini and Rodrygo surely
 
For the ability he has he should have achieved so much more. Spending his prime years in Ligue 1 was such a waste.
 
André Dominguez said:
Every manager he has says he works hard in training and tactically. The major issue is how much do you want to win. Messi and Ronaldo when losing they seem to run more and more. It's not easy to keep such mindset during so many years in any sport.
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I get it you mean in the long term, but during a match, I've never seen Neymar just not caring at all(sometimes for Brazil in low-level games tbh), but I've certainly seen Messi do that.

I recommend you watch Neymar x Juventus 17(one of the best dribbling performances I've ever seen, possibly the best) or Neymar x PSG 17 and then compare with Messi in the same games (examples of games where Barcelona were in a terrible situation and depending on their best players to reverse it).
 
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At least this season he doesn't have to fake an injury to make it to his sister's birthday.
 
Joel Miller said:
For the ability he has he should have achieved so much more. Spending his prime years in Ligue 1 was such a waste.
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Mbappe is spending prime years in France right now and most consider him to be the world's best player. The difference is, he has had success with the France national team. Neymar cares more about Brazil than any European club and I'm sure his biggest regret is not winning anything with them.
 
Andrade said:
Mbappe is spending prime years in France right now and most consider him to be the world's best player. The difference is, he has had success with the France national team. Neymar cares more about Brazil than any European club and I'm sure his biggest regret is not winning anything with them.
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Mbappe is 24 and hopefully for his own sake he'll be gone out of there next year. He's not spending his prime there yet.

Neymar moved there at 24/25. Spending the bulk of his prime there. He's an extremely talented player, but that decision to move to France was just idiotic.
 
aeh1991 said:
Crazy to think that some people here wanted him so badly.
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A fit Neymar. Not an injured one. You might not have noticed but Manchester United kind of struggles with creating good chances. A fit and dedicated Neymar would solve that issue almost by himself.
 
GlasgowCeltic said:
Not ahead of Vini and Rodrygo surely
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Not convinced by Rodrygo just yet, he wouldn't have started if Raphinha had been fit.

Vini Jr has come on leaps and bounds at Real Madrid in last 18 months, I do wonder if Brazil might try him as a CF eventually.

They seem to be back where they were a decade ago in just having o.k options there. Neymar playing there and Firmino emergence helped them in mid 2010s but alternating between Richarlison and Gabriel Jesus at CF isn't going to win them a world cup anytime soon.
 
Oranges038 said:
Mbappe is 24 and hopefully for his own sake he'll be gone out of there next year. He's not spending his prime there yet.

Neymar moved there at 24/25. Spending the bulk of his prime there. He's an extremely talented player, but that decision to move to France was just idiotic.
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It wasn't, that's just close minded thinking. If he won the CL, everything would look different. If he'd won a World Cup with Brazil, no one would care that he went to France. Going to France is not the issue. The issue is that he did not achieve (or has not yet achieved) the things that he wanted to achieve, specifically with the Brazil national team, which is much more important to a Brazilian than any European club side.
 
Another ACL injury, seems to be loads this season.

For me it's fair to say he pretty much wrote his career off when he moved to PSG, shame.
 
Andrade said:
It wasn't, that's just close minded thinking. If he won the CL, everything would look different. If he'd won a World Cup with Brazil, no one would care that he went to France. Going to France is not the issue. The issue is that he did not achieve (or has not yet achieved) the things that he wanted to achieve, specifically with the Brazil national team, which is much more important to a Brazilian than any European club side.
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Going to France is the issue, it really marked the end of his burgeoning legacy. He has a few French leagues and couple of cups and we all know the stories about his lifestyle outside of football. Nobody really takes anything PSG have won there seriously.

Do you no think that going to a less competitive league made him less of a leader and less of a player especially when it came to bigger games for Brazil?

That maybe Brazil could have done more with him and got more from him if he were playing to a higher standard at club level every week?

In all likelihood an ACL and meniscus tear at his age, the level he's now playing at and given his game was about his skills, flexibility and pace. I very much doubt he'll get back anywhere near the level he was at. Or if he'll even have the will power to do it. He'll probably never achieve his goals of winning trophies with Brazil.
 
It’s impossible to put ourselves in his position but I can imagine it was very hard turning down the PSG cash and the promise of the project that club was building. A few different scenarios and he wins a few UCLs there and this discussion is different.

His biggest regret though has to be how much he’s underperformed on the big stage for the national team. He’s never really had a good World Cup or any defining moment wearing those colors
 
Oranges038 said:
Going to France is the issue, it really marked the end of his burgeoning legacy. He has a few French leagues and couple of cups and we all know the stories about his lifestyle outside of football. Nobody really takes anything PSG have won there seriously.

Do you no think that going to a less competitive league made him less of a leader and less of a player especially when it came to bigger games for Brazil?

That maybe Brazil could have done more with him and got more from him if he were playing to a higher standard at club level every week?

In all likelihood an ACL and meniscus tear at his age, the level he's now playing at and given his game was about his skills, flexibility and pace. I very much doubt he'll get back anywhere near the level he was at. Or if he'll even have the will power to do it. He'll probably never achieve his goals of winning trophies with Brazil.
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Everything you have written here is wrong.
 
Andrade said:
Everything you have written here is wrong.
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He’s right about Neymar joining the French league and no one gives a shit about what he’s won at PSG or cares.

I’m terms of his legacy and how he’ll be remembered, joining the French league has done him no favours.
 
Andrade said:
It wasn't, that's just close minded thinking. If he won the CL, everything would look different. If he'd won a World Cup with Brazil, no one would care that he went to France. Going to France is not the issue. The issue is that he did not achieve (or has not yet achieved) the things that he wanted to achieve, specifically with the Brazil national team, which is much more important to a Brazilian than any European club side.
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But he hasn’t done these things, hence it’s not close minded thinking. Your having to use a hypothetical argument to make a case.

He’s an amazing player and I have no issues with him but joining PSG and staying in France has had a negative impact on his legacy as opposed to him staying at barca or joining a more competitive league.

Im sure even he would admit that.
 
Terry Chango said:
But he hasn’t done these things, hence it’s not close minded thinking. Your having to use a hypothetical argument to make a case.

He’s an amazing player and I have no issues with him but joining PSG and staying in France has had a negative impact on his legacy as opposed to him staying at barca or joining a more competitive league.

Im sure even he would admit that.
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Yes it is hypothetical but it demonstrates that going to France is not the actual issue, and it's lazy thinking to state that it is. He is not actually European to start with.
 
Terry Chango said:
He’s right about Neymar joining the French league and no one gives a shit about what he’s won at PSG or cares.

I’m terms of his legacy and how he’ll be remembered, joining the French league has done him no favours.
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He's obviously wrong though. It's not true that no one cares. And plenty of top players have gone to play for PSG . The best player in the world is still there and is almost 25 years old.
 
Andrade said:
Yes it is hypothetical but it demonstrates that going to France is not the actual issue, and it's lazy thinking to state that it is. He is not actually European to start with.
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I think going to France was a big mistake. I understood his reasons for joining back in the day but Neymar should have left them years ago. I don't think it is a coincidence that his injury problems got much worse at PSG and let's be real, those are what ruined him. At Barca, he had Messi and Suarez as role models and found himself in an environment that set high standards for both his on the pitch performances and his off the pitch professionalism. At PSG, he was the spoilt star boy and his bad habits were left unchecked.

So much for "what could have been". In regards to his legacy, PSG was also a bad decision. Most international fans won't credit a Ligue 1 win with PSG as much as a win in La Liga, Serie A or the EPL. So by going there, he essentially had to win the WC or the UCL to achieve something meaningful. The difference between Paris and the runner ups is just too big (same goes for the Bundesliga by the way).
 
It feels like this is the beginning of the end for him. It’s a shame. Neymar is one of the few entertainers left in the game.
 
Andrade said:
He's obviously wrong though. It's not true that no one cares. And plenty of top players have gone to play for PSG . The best player in the world is still there and is almost 25 years old.
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How many top players have joined them and not just for the money ?

Come on man.

The best player in the world as you say, wants to leave, is leaving and only stayed because they literally offered him the world and to co manage the team essentially. Naive to think otherwise imo.

Money talks regarding mbappe being at PSG.
 
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It’s the biggest injury of his career. Next step for him as a top player will be a very different , since he will need to adapt his style of playing.
 
Terry Chango said:
How many top players have joined them and not just for the money ?

Come on man.

The best player in the world as you say, wants to leave, is leaving and only stayed because they literally offered him the world and to co manage the team essentially.
Naive to think otherwise imo.

Money talks regarding mbappe being at PSG.
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And yet he is there. The best player in the world.

No point in trying to explain because your thinking on this is clearly very UK media driven. But I will reiterate. Neymar is not from Europe and his primary desire would have been to win something with Brazil. That is what he will be disappointed with at the end of his career (if he doesn't manage it), not what European clubs/leagues he didn't play in/play for. He's already won everything there is to win in club football anyway, in Europe and SA.
 
Chose money and fame over his career, made sure his dad made £50m and wasted the last seven seasons at PSG.

On some levels his career was a massive success for his family but from a footballing perspective, he's a nobody tbh.
 
Zehner said:
I think going to France was a big mistake. I understood his reasons for joining back in the day but Neymar should have left them years ago. I don't think it is a coincidence that his injury problems got much worse at PSG and let's be real, those are what ruined him. At Barca, he had Messi and Suarez as role models and found himself in an environment that set high standards for both his on the pitch performances and his off the pitch professionalism. At PSG, he was the spoilt star boy and his bad habits were left unchecked.

So much for "what could have been". In regards to his legacy, PSG was also a bad decision. Most international fans won't credit a Ligue 1 win with PSG as much as a win in La Liga, Serie A or the EPL. So by going there, he essentially had to win the WC or the UCL to achieve something meaningful. The difference between Paris and the runner ups is just too big (same goes for the Bundesliga by the way).
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I don't think it was a mistake. It got sour towards the end but i can see why he did it
Like I said, PSG got to the final of the UCL. Winning one UCL with them (their first ever) is better than winning the 6th with Barca or the 500th with Madrid. Mbappe also thought along these lines but it seems less possible now so he'll probably leave
 
Andrade said:
He's obviously wrong though. It's not true that no one cares. And plenty of top players have gone to play for PSG . The best player in the world is still there and is almost 25 years old.
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And can't wait to leave.
 
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