Neymar is one of the biggest young talents in the world football and at 20-years-old, has the expectations of the great footballing nation of Brazil on his shoulders. Pele, regarded by many as the best player ever, says that Neymar is already the best footballer in the world, despite the outstanding achievements of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. However, many people in the world of football agree that for Neymar to be considered one of the best footballers in the world he must play in one of Europe’s top leagues. Despite this, I think that Neymar should remain in Brazil until at least until after the 2014 World Cup.
Neymar is the standard bearer and beacon of hope for Brazilian football and after a solid but not too sparkling Olympic campaign, the Brazilian fans need to see Neymar back in top quality form for his club. How else can they retain the faith that Neymar is the man to lead them to glory in one of the most important World Cup’s in Brazil’s history as they host the rest of the world while trying to take back the title of best team in the world from the mighty Spain?
As well as this, Neymar should remain in Brazil as the track record of players who have begun their career in Brazil and then moved to Europe before they have established themselves is very poor. Two examples of this are Robinho and Kerlon. Granted, Robinho may not be a resounding failure, but he has still fallen well short of the expectations set for him when he was a youngster at Santos. He was so highly regarded that Real Madrid were persuaded to pay £20 million for his services at the age of 21. After a few up and down seasons, Robinho moved to Manchester City for £32.5 million then AC Milan for £15 million.
Although Robinho has appeared for 3 of the biggest clubs in Europe and has undoubtedly become a very rich man, he certainly hasn’t reached the personal heights that were expected of that little 21-year-old that left Santos in 2005. Kerlon is evidence of how a career can go very badly wrong in Europe for exciting Brazilian players; he was co-signed by Chievo and Internazionale as a 20-year-old after an impressive season for Cruzeiro. The tricky player came with a big reputation that has certainly never materialised as over the last few years Kerlon has seen his career slip away from him and he now plies his trade for Fujieda in Japan.
If the sad story of Kerlon isn’t enough to persuade Neymar to stay in Brazil, then Neymar’s relationship and dependency on his family may be enough. After all, the striker is only 20 years old and therefore is highly likely to be unable to spend much time away from his home and family. This is extra crucial as everywhere Neymar goes he is now constantly followed by the media and he requires his family there to keep him grounded and give him a place to relax away from the glare of cameras.
It is undeniable that Neymar will one day be playing in Europe and I agree that he should do if he is to compete with Messi and Ronaldo to be known as the best player in the world. However, I feel with two more years to mature away from the pressure of Europe and to soak up the pre-World Cup atmosphere in the country where he is loved is an experience that will ensure Neymar grows into an even better player.
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