The Brazilian superstar Neymar needs a big 2019 as Kylian Mbappe has taken some of the spotlight off him, and he was once again unsuccessful at winning the Ballon d’Or. There can be no denying his talent and consistently great performances for club and country, and the Brazilian is perhaps the most skilled player in world football. Any close analysis of how he plays reveals a two-footed mastery of dribbling, passing, and scoring within a team concept. To deny him of this is to have an agenda.
Nevertheless, Neymar has been under attack and the object of ridicule somewhat unfairly since the 2018 World Cup. Some criticism of Neymar at the World Cup was deserved as Neymar frequently did 10 rolls too many when only one was needed when avoiding injury from hackers. The Brazil Number 10 is an expert at avoiding ankle and knee injuries from the frequent dirty tackles that he receives where only his jumping and pulling up his feet and knees saves him from serious injury. For Neymar to simply allow people to take out his legs without jumping out of the way and tucking would be madness. But, at the 2018 World Cup Neymar rolled too much, and he made a spectacle of himself. He cut a ridiculous figure where his sensationalized rolls took away from his brilliance with the ball, and it appears that he has eliminated the excessive rolling.
As simplistic as it sounds, Neymar’s combination of electric speed and quickness combined with his skill makes him unique. A close comparison of Neymar to Cristiano Ronaldo displays how much better the Brazilian is at individual tricks and dribbling. Cristiano Ronaldo as good as he is lifts his feet too high off the ground for his stepovers and doesn’t really go anywhere after doing them whereas the Brazilian’s are smooth and low to the ground, plus he explodes past his defender after executing one. This type of skill makes Neymar the world’s best dribbler even though Lionel Messi also dribbles through seas of defenders. Neymar has the skill needed to win the next Ballon d’Or, but it will be an extremely difficult task, as he must defeat Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Mbappe.
The Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil 10 will need a dominant showing in the Champions League, and he will need to win the Champions League while playing better than Mbappe. This last part will be the hardest because trying to outplay Mbappe will negatively affect PSG’s play. Continuing to look to win and combine with the France World Cup winner is the best recipe for Neymar to win the Ballon d’Or.
Neymar has garnered some hatred and annoyance from many football fans, and he’ll have to be less odious in 2019 if he wants to win the 2019 Ballon d’Or. Losing to Luka Modric this year has to have bothered Neymar as Modric didn’t win the World Cup, and it’s proof that you don’t have to be Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to win it. Of all the players in world football, Neymar has the most tools at his disposal to win the Ballon d’Or, and it’s hard to believe that it along with winning the Champions League isn’t his top priority this year.
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