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A comparison of Neymar at his club Barcelona and his country Brazil

Aakash Sivasubramaniam
Published

Neymar for the Selecaos’:

There were no empty seats in Rio De Janiero. It was a star filled night for the Yellow Army and not just another night that was filled with tension, drama and suspense, it was a night of dreams, glory and celebrations. The expectations from the Football frenetic in Brazil had put their national team under immense pressure

Neymar has been Brazil’s poster boy since the Confederation Cup victory over Spain. Brazil, the country which has always been known for its passion in football, had faced a stern test this time. They have not won a major trophy since the capture of the Confederation Cup, albeit winning the Silver Medal in the 2014 London Olympics and crashing out of the Home World Cup in the Semis.

Brazil, particularly did not start this Olympic on a positive note. They were held to two consecutive goalless draws against the tournament’s minnows South Africa and Iraq. Brazil, found their way out from being the favourites to becoming the least favourites of sides. A revitalised Brazil side then found their way out of the draws and clawed their way back to the top of the table. Neymar orchestrated the Brazilian side to a masterclass performance against the Danish Side.

Neymar led his side to Olympic Glory
Neymar led his side to Olympic Glory

Neymar’s role at the Rio Olympics was starkly contrast from his role at Camp Nou. Neymar is more of the finisher in Camp Nou compared to his orchestrating role in Rio Olympics. The home cheer soon turned into boos after their lacklustre performance in opening fixtures of Group A. Neymar, was not only the poster boy for Brazil but also one of the three senior member in the squad and it was his responsibility to guide the young team to a Home Olympic Gold.

Brazil faced a familiar foe in the form of Germany. The Selecao’s previous match against the Europeans resulted in a 7-1 trashing at the iconic Maracana Stadium. The match revolved around the build-up created by Neymar Jr, who has assisted Gabriel Jesus and Gabigol in the previous matches.

The German defence did an exhaustive job of defending Neymar and Neymar was left out with no other chance but to help his team-mates through his passes. The Germans committed only one notable mistake in the match and that was giving Neymar a free kick in a dangerous position. Neymar, accepted the invitation with open hands scoring a wonderful free kick which put the Brazilian team on the top of the Olympic podium.

The Selecao’s lacked the decisive finishing that they had showcased in their previous outing against Honduras. The Germans made Neymar and his team work out for their Olympic Gold with a goal well taken by the German skipper Maximillian Meyer. The youngster, who plays for the German Side Schalke 04 as an attacking midfielder helped his country regain momentum in this crucial fixture. Neymar ended his stint as the Brazilian captain with the winning penalty against the young Die Mannschaft.

The Brazilian at Camp Nou   

Neymar has fitted really well in the Barcelona side
Neymar has fitted really well in the Barcelona side

Neymar’s role at Barcelona, when placed in a juxtaposition to his role at Brazil is limited to goal scoring and creating decisive angles for his counterparts Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. Neymar, has been however under the scanner of the critics for a long time since his big money move to the Catalan based club.

Neymar alongside Suarez led Barcelona to a club record 39 game unbeaten streak. Neymar at a very young age has proven time and time that he is ready to lead Barcelona in the coming years. The absence of captaincy pressure has helped Neymar perform consistently throughout the last season for the Catalans.

The playmaking role is taken care by Lionel Messi and the Barcelona midfield trio which only helps Neymar to concentrate on his finishing and the dribbles that Neymar has ever been known for. Last season, Neymar displayed some of the finest finishes that can be seen in Europe at the age of 24.

WhoScored had given Neymar an overall rating of 8.43 last season which is way above the 7.96 rating he got in his previous season at Barcelona.

The goals have been flowing for Neymar, particularly in the last season as he finished the season with 27 goals and 16 assists. With a sight on glory and goal, Neymar can only step up and perform better than he has in the last season in Camp Nou.

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