Can Neymar lead Brazil to World Cup glory? | BetKing World Cup Betting Predictions

There isn’t a country in world football that holds its players to a higher standard than the Brazilians. For every player from the South American country, their biggest honour is to wear the national team’s colours with club glory always regarded as secondary. Brazil has produced some of the greatest players the world has ever seen - from Pelé to Garincha, from Jairzinho to Romario, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho and more - sometimes, it does feel like the football gods are unfair to have blessed one nation with so much greats. With the abundance of talents the Brazilians have had over the century, there is only one way a superstar can set himself apart - leading the country to World Cup glory. It’s the one way to achieve immortality in Brazilian football & the players know this. 

The duo of Zico & Sócrates were some of the finests talents the country produced in the late 70s and 80s and both of them have been inducted into the Brazilian Football Hall of Fame. Yet, fellow Hall of Famers like Ronaldo, Romario, Garincha and, of course, Pelé are widely regarded as greater icons in Brazilian football due to their success in the World Cup, something Zico & Sócrates never achieved . Neymar Jr. knows this. He has done more than enough to be regarded as one of greatest talents his country has ever produced and he knows he’ll be in the Hall of Fame when he eventually retires. But, heading into the Qatar World Cup in a few weeks, he knows his only shot at immortality is to deliver the one trophy that has eluded his country for the last 20 years. 

The Rise of Neymar Jr. 

The world first paid attention to Neymar when they noticed this skinny kid with a mohawk haircut dazzling his opponents. The football community was used to lots of South Americans producing mind-blowing skills but a closer look at Neymar revealed he was more than that. During his time at Santos, he was named in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Team of the Year for 3 consecutive years (2011 -2013) and in 2011, he helped Santos win the Copa Libertadores while being named the Most Valuable Player of the Tournament. His performance in the 2011 season earned him a Ballon d’Or nomination and he eventually finished 10th in the voting; the only time in history a player would make the top 10 of the Ballon d’Or without playing in Europe. He was just 19-years-old and everyone knew Brazil had someone truly special. Neymar didn’t leave the Ballon d’Or ceremony empty-handed. His wonderful somewhat solo goal against Flamengo earned him the Puskas Award for the Goal of the Year ahead of Leo Messi (for his effort against Arsenal) and Wayne Rooney’s iconic overhead kick in the Manchester Derby. 

Move To Europe

Neymar’s move to Europe was inevitable; it was where the best players in the world came to play in their prime and, as expected, Barcelona and Real Madrid were the main interested parties. Both teams had Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo at the heights of their powers but they knew signing this skinny player who reminded everyone of a young Ronaldinho would give them an edge in their rivalry. Eventually, Barcelona won the race and Neymar joined them for a reported €57.1 million. Neymar’s time in Barcelona was a huge success as he formed a deadly partnership with Luis Suarez & Lionel Messi. In his 4 years in Spain, he won 8 titles including a treble in the 2014-15 season. While he achieved everything he could on a team level, playing alongside arguably the greatest player the world has ever seen (Lionel Messi) meant he couldn’t reach the heights he felt he could on an individual level. So, in 2017, when he was approached by Qatar Sports Investments, owners of PSG, to come join their project in France and become the face of the team, he obliged.  

Move To PSG 

The transfer of Neymar to Ligue 1 would become the most expensive in the history of sports. PSG activated the Brazilian’s €222m release clause and it was clear that the Parisians had one main objective; winning the UEFA Champions League. Neymar’s time with PSG has been productive as he’s won multiple titles and scored many more goals. However, his main objective of winning the Champions League with PSG is one that has not yet been achieved. They came very close in 2020 when they went all the way to the finals but a Kingsley Coman header was enough to give Bayern Munich the title that season in a crushing 1-0 loss. This season, though, PSG have their best chance (on paper, at least) of finally getting their hands on the Big Ears. Lionel Messi & Neymar are reunited in Paris and alongside Kylian Mbappe, the 3 have formed a partnership as deadly as they had with Luis Suarez.

Heartbreaks With the National Team 

While Neymar has enjoyed success at club level, the same can’t be said about his time with Brazil. He was part of the Brazilian team that won the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2013 on home soil as well as the 2016 Summer Olympics Gold Medal with the Brazilian U23 team as one of the designated overaged players. Besides those two tournaments, it’s been a long history of near-misses, injuries & suspensions for the PSG Forward. 

In the 2014 World Cup, he suffered a fractured vertebra in his spine after being kneed in the back by Colombia’s Juan Camilo Zúñiga in the quarter-finals. He was stretchered off the pitch and would go on to miss the rest of the tournament. In his absence, Brazil suffered one of the most humiliating defeats in its history as they lost 7-1 to eventual Champions Germany in the semi-finals. Many have made the case that his presence would have avoided such a heavy scoreline and perhaps they may be right. It remains one of football’s biggest What Ifs.

In the 2015 Copa America, he was suspended for violent conduct in Brazil’s last group stage game against Colombia after clashing with Carlos Bacca and Pablo Armero, and was subsequently fined $10,000. In his absence, Brazil were knocked out on penalties by Paraguay in the quarter-finals and the pressure was officially on for Brazil’s star man. 

The 2018 World Cup in Russia was relatively drama free for Neymar and the Brazilians but they still underperformed by their standards and were knocked out by Belgium in the Quarter-final. In the 2019 edition of the Copa America a year later, Neymar was absent due to injuries. The Brazilians went on to win the tournament without him as Dani Alves - the player of the tournament - led them to their 9th title. As expected, this raised questions on if Neymar was truly important to the national team. 

He returned for the 2021 edition of the Copa America and looked like a player reborn. While he only scored 2 goals & assisted 3 all tournament, his contribution to the team went beyond the basic stats. However, they lost 1-0 to Argentina in the finals as Neymar continued his search for a first major international title with the senior team. 

Qatar 2022 World Cup

To call Neymar’s time with Brazil a failure would be unfair and far from the truth. His 121 international caps is 4th all-time for Brazil trailing only Cafu (143), Roberto Carlos (127) and Dani Alves (124). His 75 goals for the Samba Boys has him at 2nd on the all-time goal-scorers list, only 2 behind fellow Santos icon and 3 time FIFA World Cup winner, Pelé (77). 

Ahead of the tournament in Qatar, Neymar has hinted it could be his last and this could be his best chance to win it. This current Brazilian squad is arguably the best they’ve had since the early-mid 2000s. In the goalkeeping position, they have Alisson and Ederson while Thiago Silva, Marquinhos and Éder Militão in defense provide a perfect blend of experience and a winning mentality. In defensive midfield, they have Fabinho and Casemiro while Fred, Bruno Guimarães & Lucas Paquetá provide options a little further forward. They may not have the traditional Pure Number 9s they had in the past but what they do have is a wonderful mixture of dual-threat attackers capable of playing multiple positions as well as both creating and assisting goals. Richarlison, Gabriel Jesus & Firmino - three of whom were part of the 2019 Copa America winning squad - are all expected to be part of the team while Raphinha, Antony, Vinicius & Rodrygo are also expected to be included in attack by Head Coach Tite alongside Neymar. 

So, can Neymar lead this Brazil team to the World Cup? Only time will tell. One thing is certain, this is the best chance he’s ever had. Neymar is a much more mature player and the way he’s handled Mbappe’s tantrums as well as the arrival of Lionel Messi to PSG shows a superstar capable of sharing the limelight with other superstars. He’s also grown as a leader and a teammate the younger ones can come to for both protection and direction. He has been very vocal in his defense of both Vinicius and Antony who came under some scrutiny for their style of play and has encouraged the pair to never be afraid to express themselves. This season, he’s already scored 14 goals and registered 11 assists for PSG in just 18 games, the most productive stretch he’s ever had in his career. As he heads into what he expects to be his last World Cup, it would be a dream for that skinny kid from Santos to deliver his country’s 6th World Cup title and end a 20-year wait. As a cherry on top, wouldn’t it be poetic if his winning goal in the final is what sees him overtake the great Pelé’s 77 international goals? I know it would. 

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