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5 reasons why Neymar can never replace Lionel Messi

Brazilian was bought with the intention of replacing the five-time Ballon d’Or winner

Each team in the history of every team sport has had a best player. And each team in the history of team sport has had the player that they expect would take over the reins when the aforementioned best player hanged up the mantle.

Barcelona are among the clubs that like to sow seed and grow a player to replace their best. However, in what could be called an anomaly, the Catalan club had to look outside to sign a player that they hope will one day replace their greatest ever player: Neymar.

Brazilian was bought with the intention of replacing the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, Lionel Messi. But he is yet to reach the level that the Argentine superstar has enjoyed for so long.

And he might never…and here are 5 reasons why…


#1 Neymar more of an entertainer

Neymar looks like the most naturally gifted when it comes to providing football entertainment

Any Brazilian attacker worth his salt possesses this trait. One can say that most Brazilians are born with it and moulded by it. It is why Brazil is known as the Samba land; be it flair on the football pitch or on the streets, the South American nation is one of the most entertaining countries in the world.

So it is natural for its players to have the same attribute engraved within them. Among all the players, Neymar looks like the most naturally gifted when it comes to providing football entertainment. When he plays, it feels like he dances on the pitch to make the crowd stand on their feet and dance with him.

While Lionel Messi is regarded as the heir to the throne that Ronaldinho left, Neymar is the more similar player to the former Barcelona number 10. And it is for this reason that he can never truly be as efficient as the Argentine.

Remember how silky and mazy the former Newell’s kid used to be when he burst into the first team? Lionel Messi sacrificed that flamboyance for efficiency, something that Neymar hasn’t done yet—and something that he probably won’t do because that’s what defines him.

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