In the early morning of November 25, 2022, Beijing time, in the first round of the group stage of the World Cup in Qatar, Brazil vs Serbia, Neymar was violated 9 times in the whole game, and was replaced due to injury in the final stage of the game.
Neymar, who was treated off the pitch, shed tears, perhaps the man who took Brazil to the world's best again, fearing that the injury would take him off the World Cup stage early and for good, because before the start of this World Cup, he said that this World Cup may be his last.
Neymar undergoing treatment with tears
Someone quipped: "It's easy to play Brazil, just play Neymar." ”
Another quipped: "Neymar is playing, and the opponent is kicking Neymar." ”
And the reason why Neymar will be frequently "taken care of" by his opponents is closely related to his gorgeous football skills and arrogant personality.
Born on February 5, 1992 in the Brazilian state of São Paulo, Neymar is affectionately known as "Nei Shao" by fans who like him. Neymar joined Santos FC at the age of 11 and won the South American Footballer of the Year and Puskas Awards at the age of 19. On the court, Neymar showed the gorgeous style of samba football to the extreme, pedaling a bicycle, picking the ball, pulling the ball continuously, oxtail, rainbow passing ...
These skill sets that seem difficult to others are "hand to hand" at Neymar's feet, and this blood portrays the "inner youngster" of Samba's football genes, and the king Pelé has also said in public more than once: he will be the next "king of football".
It is precisely because of this style of play that the opponent has frequently violated it, and it seems that there is no other way to stop him except to put him down.
Junior Neymar
However, with the development of modern football, more and more players from professional classes have lost such a personal style as Neymar, which may be the progress of modern football, but from another angle, it seems to be the "regression" of individual players.
In this era, we often miss the pendulum of the "alien" Ronaldo, miss the cow's tail of the "football elf" Xiao Luo, and perhaps for many years to come, we will begin to miss the rainbow passing of the "inner less".
"Football Genie" Xiao Luo
"Alien" Ronaldo
Some say that Neymar is one of the most controversial stars in Brazilian history, while others say that he is the last samba dancer, another pinnacle of Brazilian football.
Unknowingly, the 30-year-old Neymar is no longer young, but he has broken the curse of many Brazilian stars in the past who were at the peak of their careers but their competitive form was rapidly declining. Behind the seemingly arrogance, it always carries the love of football. In the midst of many fans' boos and abuses, he never flinched, but grew and strengthened his heart step by step.
The hot-blooded young man who used to have a hot head to conflict with the opponent when facing the opponent's aggression, but now when facing the opponent's aggression, he can choose to smile back at the opponent, and then continue his own performance on the field.
He seems to be saying to his opponent in this way: Your rudeness can only set off my grace, and you put me down in this way, which just shows that you cannot overcome me, you can extinguish the fire in my eyes, but you cannot extinguish the light in my heart.
This growth may have originated at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, which was a nightmare for almost all Brazilians. In the quarterfinals, Neymar was injured in the back with a knee by his opponent Zuniga of Colombia, and Neymar wailed in pain and was carried off the field on a stretcher. Brazil, lacking a core, was bloodied 7-1 by German tanks in the next semifinals.
Brazilians could not accept the outcome for a country with football genes in its blood, and riots broke out in several Brazilian cities after the match.
As for Neymar, the doctor said after the game that if Zuniga's knee was two centimeters higher, Neymar might not be able to stand up for the rest of his life.
But fortunately, injuries did not finally defeat him, and he returned from injury, and in the following years, he became more and more mature, just to impact the trophy that "belongs to him" in his heart.
It was also after that that we saw less and less about Neymar's impetuous performances and more and more about his maturity on the pitch.
With practical actions, he proved to the world that he is still the familiar "samba dancer", and he will still work hard to carry the banner of Brazil's sixth star for his dream.
Neymar smiles back when he is fouled
After being injured against Serbia, Neymar said on his official microblog: "I can't describe the pride and love I felt when I put on this shirt. In my life, nothing is obtained for nothing, nothing is easy, and I always have to chase my dreams and goals. ”
The rainbow is still there, the boy is old, we can't predict that in this Ragnarok, Neymar will be able to lead Brazil to fulfill its dreams, but we believe that no matter what the final result is, that "samba dancer" has amazed the youth of countless people, and he will definitely be remembered in future generations as the "rainbow boy" in the hearts of many people.
Neymar "rainbow over"
As for modern football, whether it should be a little stronger in personal characteristics, or completely sharpen the edges and corners of individual players, and develop towards more and more scientific football, in fact, facts have proved that the latter may be the development direction of football in the future.
But we still expect more "Neymar" to appear, and in addition to high-intensity games, we also hope that more players will catch a glimpse. If the football game is only a battle of victory and defeat, without the spirit of exhilarating, will it be like clear water without fish, and no white clouds in the vast blue sky?
There may be no standard answer to this question, but I hope that everyone who loves this sport can find their own attachment and happiness.