Neymar Eye’s Up ‘Legend’ Status at Qatar 2022

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is going to be a historic occasion for the host nation and the whole of the Middle East. However, it could also be a chance for a couple of our football hero's to go down in history too. 

Nearing the end of their glittering careers, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, two of the biggest names of the game, will undoubtedly be looking to bag a World Cup win for their own grand finales. Both are legends in their own right already, but winning a World Cup would be the icing on the cake for either of them. For another football wizard, Neymar, Qatar 2022 could also be his best chance to win the World Cup. And, only a win will allow him to join the ranks of Brazilian sports stars who enjoy 'legend' status. 

Becoming a Legend

28-year-old Neymar, a Brazilian superstar, is prodigiously talented and arguably the best when it comes to flair. After conquering South America in the colours of Santos, when he showcased his repertoire in front of the world at the 2012 London Olympics, he looked destined for greatness. Indeed, when Qatari-owned Paris Saint-Germain identified him as the marquee player in their quest for European glory, club President Nasser Al Khelaifi wasted little time to bring him from Barcelona in 2017, in the most expensive transfer ever. His dancing feet, flamboyance on and off the pitch and continually changing hairstyles have also made him a fan favourite and the poster boy of many an advertisement campaign. But, for all his talent, much of that initial promise remains unfulfilled and the absence of a World Cup trophy is a major personal glitch.

To achieve true legend status in Brazil, a country with rich footballing tradition and multiple successes, winning the World Cup is the topmost requirement. Without that win, Neymar will, rightly or wrongly, not be able to seal his legendary status in the halls of football fame.

It's true that former Ballon d'Or winner George Weah is an absolute legend in his home nation, and is now the country's president, though Liberia has never even played in a World Cup final round. Similarly, Johan Cruyff, Marco Van Basten, Ruud Gullit, Eusebio and Michel Platini are just some of the legendary footballers without a World Cup against their names. But, Neymar, even with a Ballon d'Or, won't reach that status without a World Cup win given the expectation of the Brazilian fans.

Comparisons with Pele and Ronaldo 

That Neymar is from five-time World Cup champions Brazil, where Pele and Ronaldo and scores of other football legends have ruled, makes it impossible for him not to be compared and evaluated with the same yardstick.

Neymar, with a recent hat-trick against Peru that took his goal-scoring tally for Brazil to 64, broke fellow Brazilian Ronaldo's record. Neymar is now the second all-time goal-scorer for Brazil. And, he will undoubtedly smash Pele's record of 77 goals for the home nation. Predominantly operating on the left-wing, Neymar is as good in creating goals as he is in scoring them, and that makes his feat even more impressive.

However, Pele has three World Cup triumphs against his name -1958, 1962, 1970. Ronaldo has two - 1994, when he watched from the dugout as a 17-year-old and 2002, when he became the top-scorer of the tournament with eight goals. In between, in 1998, Ronaldo played a key role in taking Brazil to the final only to be beaten 3-0 by France.

As for Neymar, he has had two opportunities at the ultimate showpiece - 2014 and 2018. An unfortunate injury in 2014 made sure Brazil's progress ended in the semis - painful for the nation and extremely painful for Neymar. Colombia's Juan Zuniga broke a vertebra in his spine with a high tackle from behind in the quarterfinal. Though Brazil progressed, without Neymar, the team were like bunnies caught in the headlights against the Germans and were thrashed 1-7 in Belo Horizonte. There was no humiliation in Russia in 2018, but Belgium curtailed the Brazilian's run in the last eight winning 2-1. Neymar was coming back after a three-month layoff with a broken foot and could not do much against the organised Belgians. However, he did score two goals in the tournament, taking his total World Cup tally to six from 10 games. 

Unfortunately, this is another record where he falls short against his Brazilian counterparts. While Ronaldo is second in the all-time list with 15 goals from 19 matches (only one behind Germany's Miroslav Klose), Pele has 12 against his name, from just 14 games.

In the Shadow of Messi and Ronaldo

As if the constant evaluations against the class and accomplishments of his countrymen was not enough, Neymar also has to live with the unenviable pressure, or burden, of being compared with his peers and two of the biggest names in football ever, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. 

Like Neymar, Messi and Ronaldo are yet to win a World Cup; though they have had phenomenal careers otherwise. While Messi has six Ballon d'Or awards, Ronaldo has five of them, besides guiding Portugal to a European Championships trophy, and both of them refuse to fade away despite being in the twilight of their careers. Neymar has, to date, only finished third for the coveted Ballon d'Or and that was for his performances in 2015. And, even his Olympics medals (Gold in 2016 and Silver in 2012) won't lift him to the same dizzying heights enjoyed by Argentina and Portugal's top two players.

On the Pitch

Neymar has often drawn flak for his temperament and his tendency to dive at the slightest of contacts. Still, he can be unstoppable, as PSG found out against Barcelona in their UEFA Champions League Last-16 encounter in 2017. The French champions had one foot in the quarterfinals, having won the first leg 4-0 at home. However, Neymar won a penalty, scored two goals (including a stunning freekick), and provided the assist for Sergi Roberto's 95th-minute decider in Barcelona's surreal 6-1 victory. Effectively, Neymar sent the Parisians out of the tournament with their tails between their legs. PSG took Neymar on board the next summer and even though he has not hit that level for them, he has steered them to three French league triumphs and to the 2019/20 Champions League Final where they lost to Bayern Munich.

The Champions League trophy for PSG will silence a lot of critics, but for Neymar to be genuinely considered at the level of Pele and Ronaldo by the Brazilians, he needs to win the World Cup, which is not going to be easy. Neymar does not have the same support on the pitch enjoyed by Pele and Ronaldo, who both had several top-class players to back them. Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho and Gabriel Jesus are stars in their own right, but they are not in the league of Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, Rivelino and Jairzinho.

Neymar's rise to the top may also be hampered by the fact that Brazil's rivals are getting stronger. Current, world champions France are increasingly churning out world-class players. Typically the Germans have a strong squad. Belgium and Spain are making steady progress, while the Portuguese team are gaining momentum.

Qatar 2022

So, Neymar will be looking ahead to 2022 and the opportunity to change his standing on the pitches of Qatar's state-of-the-art stadiums. And surely, Neymar and Brazil will be among favourites for the neutral fans in Qatar, especially because of his PSG connection (a Qatari-owned team). Only time will tell if he and his countrymen can make it to the top for the sixth time and secure his ‘legend’ status!