“No Premier League player in history is better than a prime Neymar,” Gary Neville reads out to his co-hosts on The Overlap podcast’s ‘unpopular opinions’ section. The reaction from the panel, made up of Premier League and WSL legends, is one of shock and outrage. They begin listing off players they believe outshone the Brazilian star, including the likes of Eden Hazard and Sadio Mané, before Wayne Rooney claims that he has “never seen Neymar as a top, top player.”
This clip has gone viral on social media over the past week or so, with many speaking out in defence of Neymar, whilst others jumped on the hate train – for example, former Chelsea and Tottenham player Jason Cundy exclaimed “give me Saka” on TalkSport when asked if he would swap the Arsenal winger for Neymar in his prime. It has not been a great week for Neymar — not only has he faced ridiculous comments and comparisons from the English media, but Carlo Ancelotti left him out of Brazil’s squad for their upcoming friendlies. Nonetheless, it is important that we don’t let the sour final years of Neymar’s career spoil the legacy of one of the best players to ever step onto the pitch.
Simply by looking at the statistics, we can immediately see just how laughable The Overlap hosts’ comments are. Neymar has scored over 450 goals and registered more than 250 assists in over 700 games across his career – numbers which, incidentally, far surpass those of Rooney. He has won the Champions League and the treble, finished third in the Ballon d’Or rankings in 2015, and 10th in 2011 whilst playing in the Brazilian league aged 19, and racked up cumulative transfer fees of close to £400m across his career. He is Brazil’s all-time top goalscorer and top assister, ahead of Pele and Ronaldo Nazario, and was consistently seen as the ‘number three’ behind Messi and Ronaldo throughout the 2010s.
That said, it would be impossible to quantify Neymar’s game with stats alone. He is first and foremost an entertainer. The rainbow flicks, the backheels, the nutmegs and the mazy dribbles simply need to be witnessed to be understood. He is the embodiment of ‘Joga Bonito’ – the beautiful game – a Brazilian phrase that describes playing football with skill and flair that is severely lacking in the robotic modern game. From the haircuts to the boots, the skills, and the celebrations, every kid growing up in the 2010s wanted to be Neymar. He has perhaps had a greater influence on younger players than anyone else of his generation. Young stars like Lamine Yamal and Désiré Doué have spoken about how much Neymar has influenced them, and it has been a breath of fresh air to see this style of football making a comeback.
Whether it was the fact he never played in the Premier League, his injury woes in the latter stages of his career, or the fact that he left Europe at 30, it looks like English pundits will always take Neymar for granted. But the Brazilian’s influence on football cannot be understated. Neymar was the catalyst who revived a dying breed, brought Joga Bonito back to the modern game, and inspired a generation. Even if others will never appreciate his greatness, his legacy will live on in the hearts of millions.
Photo by Gustavo Ferreira on Unsplash.