So as Messi basks in the glory of winning a third straight FIFA world player of the year title, attention continues to be centred on the players who missed out.
One such Player is Neymar. According to Brazilian legend Ronaldo, Neymar not only has the potential to win the Ballon d’Or, but he can become better than Messi.
However, this can only happen if he moves to a European club. Ronaldo who has taken a beating for his statement is adamant that unless Neymar moves away from Brazil, he does stand a chance to compete against the best players in the world.
“He is a talent that we have to export and allow him to dominate the world, to own it playing the game that he does. The prestige and competition in European football is massive,” Ronaldo said.
If you carefully interpret what Ronaldo is saying then you would realise that he is talking about himself. Ronaldo left Brazil at the tender age of 19 and went on to dominate the European scene for more tha a decade.
Here is why i personally agree with Ronaldo. Neymar is now 19 and though the scope of the game has changed somewhat since his time, the opportunity for him to improve is far greater in Europe than in Brazil.
However there is also a very big disadvantage that comes with being such a hot prospect. With a host of clubs willing to break the bank to get Neymar, the teen superstar could fall victim to unscrupulous people looking to make money off of him.
A move to the wrong club can seriously damage his career while a move to the right club could propel him to legendary status. The truth of the matter is Neymar cannot wait for another 2 years before leaving Brazil.
Former international Ronaldo had this to say about his own comments:
“I have taken some flak for having said that, but every person has their opinion and it should be respected. I know people like to follow their idols close, but Brazilians also watch the European games.
“They love to watch Barcelona and Real Madrid. I have played practically my entire life out of the country. And the people’s love is the same, if not more,”
It does look very unlikely that Neymar will leave Santos any time soon especially after having stated that the club felt like home for him. However, one thing is for sure for him to compete with he has to play with the best.
Photo Credit © Jiawang Liu
