The name Neymar will issue from the lips of any football pundit talking about the new generation of football superstars.
He seems to have everything: the Nike endorsement, the looks, the fashion, and the ability. At least he seems to have the ability.
Well, he seems to walk through his opponents when playing domestically.
But does this prove his ability? Far from it.
Neymar is playing in the Brazilian league, and at twenty one years of age, has already been playing for Sao Paulo club Santos since 2009. This is not completely unusual in this league.
He has made over one hundred appearances, racking up fifty goals in the process.
While this total may seem impressive, unsung Brazilian star Alexandre Pato racked up a remarkably similar statistic playing for A.C. Milan in the Italian league which is far more competitive.
Playing for the national team, Neymar’s goal tally is also impressive, until you look at the calibre of teams he has scored against.
Almost half of his goals have come against international minnows China, Iraq, Bolivia and Scotland.
Using Pato as a comparison point again, he has scored almost half of his international goals against competitive football countries such as Ecuador and Sweden, while battling injury and playing against some of the best teams in the world domestically.
The difference between Pato and Neymar?
Alexandre Pato has proved himself against quality opposition. He has scored over fifty goals in just over one hundred appearances in one of the most defensively-strong leagues in the world.
Neymar can in no way be touted as the best young player in the world when he is playing in a league hardly recognised as one of the best and is performing poorly in comparison to people playing over in Europe.
Neymar has turned down several offers from Europe, despite the illustrious pay checks attached to these offers.
Why? He is afraid. Afraid that he could simply become another over-hyped star that regularly disappoints, ruining his career.
His performance against Barcelona in 2012 was a testament to this fact. He failed to even show any signs of brilliance despite having free kicks, one-on-ones and corners.
The fact is Neymar is unlikely to ever match up to the abilities of top European players because he has done little more than equal the statistics of his European counterparts, despite playing against very low-quality teams.
The best move for Neymar’s brand would be to stay in Brazil where he is regarded as the best.
However the best move for his football would be to move to a European club. German giants Bayern Munich could be after him and due to the domination of the team, and high scoring nature of the league, it could help his brand too.
Barcelona and Madrid would also be good moves, but game time would be less guaranteed.
Neymar’s future is filled with uncertainty and there is a chance it could be dim.
However the sooner he is able to prove himself against quality opposition, the sooner rewards ensue.
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