Neymar debuted for Brazil at 18 during a rebuilding phase after the 2010 World Cup disappointment. Brazil sought a Messi-equivalent, fostering a culture of dependency that affected how Neymar was used and perceived. His story carries poignancy because he was treated as an image and narrative vessel rather than fully allowed to be himself. After Brazil’s 2018 quarter-final loss to Belgium, Neymar stood alone in a car park with his head bowed, reflecting the weight of expectation. His presence contributed to a tactical flaw Belgium exploited by shifting Romelu Lukaku to the right, targeting Brazil’s soft left flank. Compensatory midfield adjustments were required, but Brazil lacked the balance to sustain them, leading to an unbalanced loss.
"When Neymar was 18, he made his debut for Brazil as part of the rejuvenation of the national squad after the disappointment of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. At the time, Lionel Messi was 23, obviously a star, and Brazil had to have their equivalent. Neymar has been trying to escape the Argentinian's shadow ever since. Even the news that Carlo Ancelotti has included Neymar in his squad for the forthcoming World Cup feels like a desperate attempt to create the sort of narrative Messi enjoyed at the last finals: a last dance long after the body had begun to fade."
"Right from the start the sense was Brazil needed a Messi of their own and that created a culture of dependency that was helpful to nobody. Neymar is a player who delights some and frustrates others, a vessel into which competing factions pour their narrative; it's easy for the individual to be lost. There is an overlooked poignancy to Neymar's story; a potential great who was never quite allowed to be himself, whose substance never quite matched the image."
"After Brazil's defeat by Belgium in their 2018 World Cup quarter-finals, Neymar stood alone beside the team bus in the stadium car park in Kazan, silhouetted against a vast LED screen, head bowed, shoulders bent under the weight of expectation. He was just 26 but even then it felt as if his best chance of winning a World Cup was gone. It was not his fault that Brazil had lost and yet it had been his presence that had created the tactical flaw that Roberto Martinez had exploited."
"Accommodating Neymar demanded compensatory shifts in midfield but there was no Brazilian Rodrigo De Paul and an unbalanced Brazil lost as a result. Neymar's presence for Brazil allowed Belgium to exploit the space he left during the 2022 World C"
Read at www.theguardian.com
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