"The Perfect Chaos" - 3 reasons why Neymar's career's been a success and 2 reasons why it hasn't been
Former Barcelona and current Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar is one of the most controversial characters in football. The Brazilian star first broke onto the scene in 2011, when he won the South American Footballer of the Year award in a landslide.
All the top European clubs took notice and Barcelona eventually secured the Santos man’s services in the summer of 2013 for an undisclosed hefty fee.
Since his big-money transfer to the Camp Nou, the versatile forward has made headlines for good as well as bad reasons. On the one hand, he has scored audacious goals and won the biggest of trophies. On the other, he has been rightfully slandered for shameless diving and for underperforming in crucial matches.
All of his exploits and shortcomings are set to be unveiled in the star’s latest documentary - “Neymar: The Perfect Chaos.” While we are yet to watch the movie, we do have some thoughts about what we have seen of the superstar so far.
Here are three reasons why the PSG man’s career’s been a success and two reasons why it hasn’t been:
Success: Winning two league-cup doubles with two different teams
Neymar moved to Barcelona in 2013 and immediately felt the full force of the two biggest Madrid clubs, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.
While Atletico bagged the La Liga title that year, Los Blancos won the Champions League and the Copa del Rey, leaving Barcelona trophyless.
The next season, in 2014-15, the then-number 11 helped Barcelona to their second treble in history.
The following season, in 2015-16, Real Madrid reclaimed the Champions League, but Neymar’s Barcelona completed another league-cup double.
Lionel Messi changed everything for Neymar 🥺❤️ https://t.co/HBhTzKVIE7
At PSG, too, the 29-year-old has had the good fortune of winning multiple silverware. He won the Ligue 1 title for three consecutive seasons between 2017 and 2020, pitching in numerous decisive performances.
The Parisians also won the French Cup in the 2017-18 and 2019-20 seasons, with the winger playing a starring role.
PSG bagged the Cup last season as well, but they lost the league title race to LOSC Lille.
Not a success: Only one Ballon d’Or podium finish
Hailed as one of the most skillful players of this generation, Neymar has not yet managed to win a Ballon d’Or.
Winning the coveted individual title in the Cristiano Ronaldo-Lionel Messi era is easier said than done, but Luka Modric’s triumph in 2018 proves that it’s possible.
ANDER HERRERA:
“What did Neymar lack to win Ballon d'Or? He lives in the era of Messi and Cristiano, who for many years left no one a chance, except Modric once. And this is very commendable. These two guys have won a lot of UCL and that has an impact too." https://t.co/KsBfiYG38k
More frustratingly, the former Santos man has only made it onto the three-man shortlist once in his career, that too way back in 2015.
Given the natural talent he's blessed with, the return is hardly satisfactory.