da doce： Fresh from scoring for Brazil in their friendly against France Neymar played an important part in the narrow 1-0 win over south American rivals Chile earlier today.
da betobet： But at club level Neymar is not having the season he would have hoped for, and it all seems to be down to one man – Luis Suarez. The Uruguayan powerhouse has taken centre stage at Barcelona and this doesn’t look likely to change.
It hasn’t been easy for Neymar at Barcelona. Since impressing for Brazilian side Santos he was quickly offered a big money move to the Camp Nou, but controversy hasn’t been far behind.
Accusations of embezzlement relating to his massive multi-million pound transfer fee intensified the spotlight on the young man but his work on the pitch has proven that he is a mature player that feels comfortable at club football’s very top.
Fifteen goals in his first season capped a successful year and Neymar looked set to make his mark on the club regardless of the off field distractions.
Neymar was Barcelona’s superstar in the making, but the arrival of Liverpool’s Luis Suarez just 12 months later has hugely overshadowed the Brazilian. Since joining last summer for around £65million, Suarez has been the one getting all the headlines whether he finds the net or not.
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Neymar has scored 17 times, which is more than twice as many league goals as Suarez, yet it is the Uruguayan who has been elevated to the realms of superstar status by the Spanish press.
It is true that Neymar is young and finds himself easily pushed off the ball, while Suarez is made more in the Messi mould that Barca fans like. Suarez is pacey and strong. He will fight to get and keep the ball and is very ruthless in front of goal. Barcelona supporters respect players who are simple in their approach. Neymar is more delicate and flashy, perhaps seen as more of a successor to Real Madrid’s own Cristiano Ronaldo rather than their Messi.
You can’t deny that both players are hugely talented and their goal return typically is relentless, but in a team where all three forwards are of superstar quality it was likely that not all would be valued by supporters in the same way.
During the recent El Clasico, Suarez ran riot through Real Madrid’s defence getting his name on the score sheet twice. Neymar, though, was seen as quiet and subdued. The Spanish press, who are always ready to pounce on a player’s failings, felt that the Brazilian was ineffective throughout the match and credited Suarez for their triumph over bitter rivals Real Madrid. In Spain, heroes can be made during El Clasico while a poor performance can put a cloud over a player’s entire season.
In his first seven months, Suarez has been well behaved. Long forgotten are his shocking antics at last year’s world cup and now the forward is held in high esteem. But given his track record of being unpredictable and volatile, Suarez may just do something to turn his supporters against him.
For now, Neymar will have to continue to work on his game and learn to be content with Suarez getting the great headlines. Until he mucks it all up at least.
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