Why Neymar is not close to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
There is absolutely no doubt that Neymar is one of the best players in the world right now and arguably, the PSG megastar is the closest to breaking the duopoly of Messi and Ronaldo. Till the last season, it was almost sure that he was going to give the two greats a run for their favorite trophy and his PSG move was a clear indication of the same. But things haven't gone quite his way so far.
After a strong start to the season, pundits and analysts were sure that this year's going to see a new player win the award after 10 long years but his massive injury ended all hopes in a flash. We wish to see Neymar, back to his very best at the World Cup though.
Now, if you consider the next season, there is a possibility that players like Mo Salah, Harry Kane and Kevin De Bruyne can challenge Neymar to his dream too. Who knows, maybe Mbappe can also have his breakthrough at the World Cup.
There is no shortage of talent or quality in Neymar to be the best player in the world but it takes more than just goals and trickery. There are quite some reasons why Neymar won't be able to match the greatness of players like Messi and Ronaldo. So, let us have a glance at them.
#1 Coaches
Ronaldo had Sir Alex Ferguson and then Jose Mourinho. Messi had Frank Rijkaard and then Pep Guardiola. Here you see legendary coaches helping great players grow into legends. Neymar didn't get the opportunity to be coached by someone like them and surely it has shown its adverse effects.
Unai Emery has taken a backseat since the arrival of Neymar, thinking as if the team doesn't need supervision anymore. Earlier, Neymar played under several coaches for Barcelona but didn't get the privilege of being coached in a similar fashion to Messi.
The truth is that without a coach backing up the player with the same determination, the road to glory becomes lonely as is the case with Neymar and his mentors.