Is Neymar Jr The Best Brazilian Footballer?

Cover image - Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images 

Neymar Jr has had a decorated career at every club he has played for. He leaves European football as one of the greatest players of this generation as well as in time. From his days at Santos to Barcelona and now leaving the Parisian giants PSG to embark on a new and upcoming brand of football in Saudi Arabia. He is known for his flair, dribbling, play-making, and goal-scoring, making him one of the best all-rounded players of this generation or even all time.

The Brazilian-born attacker broke through with the potential of becoming an all-time great of the game but it can be said that he was unlucky to have peaked in the same era as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo who were showing no signs of slowing down. It would be almost impossible for other players to reach the levels of Messi and Ronaldo as they performed the arts of football in a way that is beyond imitation.

However, when discussing Brazilian footballers, many legends come to mind such as Pele, Kaka, R9 (Ronaldo Nazario) and Ronaldinho. But where does Neymar rank amongst them? 

(Image taken from - https://www.goal.com/en/news/8/main/2017/11/10/40136642/neymar-prioritising-champions-league-glory-with-psg-over) 

He first caught the eye of many in 2005, when he was offered the chance to sign for Real Madrid as a young kid. Real Madrid has a knack for spotting world-class talent at the youth level and this goes to show the potential Neymar Jr possessed despite not coming from a financially stable background at the time. However in his documentary 'Neymar: The Perfect Chaos' he stated that he was not ready to depart from home at a young age to a foreign country thus he decided to reject the move to Madrid and continue to develop at Santos.

Then in 2011, Neymar Jr showcased his talent and potential while at Santos as he was ranked 10th in the prestigious Ballon d'Or. He was only 19 at the time and was ranked ahead of the likes of Ozil, Muller, Fabregas, Aguero and many more greats of the game. This highlighted that another star boy was in the making and that Neymar Jr would have the world at his feet if he continued to grow.

Although, in his documentary, he also mentioned how he felt that his development was going too fast. This is kind of true as he is only featured in the top 3 of the Ballon d'Or twice in his whole career but despite this, at the club level, he continues to win trophies. In my opinion, his potential was close to what Messi and Ronaldo had and much bigger than any other player. I think Neymar was unlucky to have peaked in the same era as the two GOAT's of football. 

Then the argument is to see if he is the best Brazilian footballer of all time. Of course, the names that pop into this argument are Ronaldo (R9), Ronaldinho and Pele. All those three players mentioned have won a world cup which helped boost their legendary status and R9 and Ronaldinho have also won a balon d'Or. This is something that Neymar Jr lacks and is why many Brazilians don't regard him in this argument. However, despite the lack of a world cup and balon d'Or I still feel as if Neymar has every right of being in that conversation and if not the best footballer in terms of attributes and numbers.

It can be said that Neymar is a combination of Ronaldinho's dribbling and play-making and R9's goal-scoring and flair skills. Neymar is certainly more of a complete player than those two greats. He has scored 10 goals in a single Champions League campaign and won the golden boot - joint top with both Messi and Ronaldo. He also won the competition in that campaign alongside Messi. R9 despite having a glittering career did not manage to win a Champions League and after his leg break, it was evident he was never the same. However, Ronaldinho has managed to achieve everything at both clubs, international and individual levels. Thus in terms of career accolades, Neymar can be ranked either 2nd or 3rd out of the 3 of them. Of course, Pele also had a magnificent career and was considered the GOAT for many years but his era and this era cannot be compared and the club he did it at cannot be compared to where Neymar, R9 and Ronaldinho have done it - in my opinion.

In terms of football and play style, Neymar Jr can arguably be at the top spot. R9 had fantastic dribbling and flair - one of the best of all time but it wasn't the same after the injury. Neymar also suffered a near career-ending injury in the world cup of 2014, although he came back from the injury and he showed no signs of slowing down as he won the treble the following season and had an individually great season having 49 goal contributions in 51 matches for Barcelona. Coming back from a serious injury and producing a master-class season showcased Neymar's ability as a footballer. I have not seen many people like that apart from Messi and Ronaldo. 

Ronaldinho is arguably the most beautiful footballer in terms of how effortless he makes the game look - a true 'Joga Bonita.' His goal-scoring wasn't the same as R9 and Neymar but his elegance and dribbling and awareness to pick out passes were second to none. Many former and upcoming players have said they looked up to him as a footballer which shows how much of an impact Ronaldinho has had. As for me I also say that he is one footballer I wish I saw play in his prime years. Although Neymar Jr also makes the game look effortless and for me and the footballers I have seen he is one of the best if not the best dribblers I have seen play the game. This is also compared to Messi and Ronaldo. They both played for PSG, and Neymar was the one that helped the Parisian Giants reach a Champions League final for the first time. In that 19/20 campaign despite not scoring, it was one of the best individual performances I have ever seen in the Champions League since Cristiano Ronaldo did in 16/17 and 17/18. He still managed 7 goal involvements in 7 games for PSG in that CL run. This emphasises how Neymar Jr can do it for any club he plays for and shows that he has longevity and play on the top level for longer than most Brazilian players and others in general.

One thing Neymar has over Ronaldinho for sure is goal scoring and goal involvement. Neymar certainly does have more influence in matches in decisive moments. But all the other attributes are up for debate as both footballers make the game look beautiful in their own ways.

Overall we can see that both Ronaldo Nazario and Ronaldinho have World Cup honours and Ballon d'Or success which does not help Neymar's case. But if Messi and Ronaldo were not in Neymar's era it is guaranteed he has two Ballon d'Ors - in 14/15 and 17/18. And if R9 and Ronaldinho were in the Messi/Ronaldo era it can be argued they'd have no ballon d'Or either. His performances at PSG haven't been the same at Barcelona but they still have been nothing short of world-class. I think it is a myth to suggest that Neymar flopped at PSG. He has 159 goal involvements in 143 games for the club - players would dream of these kinds of numbers. He also managed to take the club almost single-handedly to their first-ever CL final in 2020. Hence to suggest he hasn't lived up to the hype is ludicrous. 

Nowadays, the media has played a huge role in promoting and ruining players' careers. Thus, players of this era have had it much harder to play due to the opinions and slander they face online. Neymar has always been used by the media as a scapegoat ever since that big-money move to the Parisian giants in 2017. Thus if R9 or Ronaldinho were to play in this modern digitalised era it would be interesting to see how well they can perform under the immense pressure of the whole world.

But regardless of individual trophies and club achievements and eras, I certainly think Neymar is the most gifted and talented Brazilian footballer there has been because of his ability to do everything on the pitch from goal-scoring to assisting as an attacker. He is definitely the most complete Brazilian footballer of this generation and most likely of all time. Many will recognise that he failed to live up to his true potential and had the ability to reach the level of Ronaldo and Messi but they cannot deny the impact and success Neymar Jr has had in his illustrious career.