Neymar Junior joined the Brazil team for the first time in 2010 at the age of 18. Immediately, he was recognized as the next big thing in Brazilian football and the talisman who would lead them to their sixth World Cup trophy.
In the 12 years since then, ‘The Prince’ of Brazilian football has lived up to his initial promise and represented the Selecao, scoring 71 goals and 54 assists in 121 matches.
Neymar needs just three goals to overtake the legendary Pele as Brazil’s top scorer.
The Paris-Saint Germain forward also ended Brazil’s 64-year wait when he led his team to their first Olympic gold medal in 2016.
But despite all the achievements he has achieved for the national team, there is one thing missing. Neymar has yet to take Brazil to his ‘hexa’.
In 2014, Brazil rode on Neymar’s individual brilliance to reach the semi-finals. But he was unable to participate in the semi-finals due to an injury suffered in the last minute of the quarter-final against Colombia.
Neymar-less Brazil had no chance against Germany and lost 7-1, a scoreline that haunts every Brazilian player and fan to this day.
In 2018, Brazil’s trip ended with a 1–2 draw against Belgium in the quarterfinals. In that match, Neymar played a heartout, but Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois played the game of his life and stopped Brazil in the draw.
Heading into the 2022 World Cup, Neymar has scored 15 goals and 12 assists in 20 appearances for his club PSG in the 2022-23 season.
At the age of 30, the Qatar World Cup will be the last World Cup where Neymar will be at the height of his abilities.
So, the time has come for the Prince of Brazil to ascend the throne and join other great Brazilian footballers in lifting the World Cup trophy. Time will tell if Neymar will make that leap for the third time or not.
‘Sharing the burden is half the burden’
In the 2014 and 2018 World Cups, the Brazil team relied heavily on Neymar’s talents on the attacking front.
Although Neymar carries this huge burden with apparent ease, against stronger teams and in important games, other players need to step up.
This time around, Brazil have several in-form attacking options who will share the goal scoring burden with Neymar.
Real Madrid’s left winger Vinicius Jr., right winger Rodrigo, Arsenal’s forward Gabriel Jesus are sure to reduce the burden on Neymar and make Brazil more dynamic in front of the opponent’s goal post.
The odds are in Brazil’s favor
Who will win the FIFA World Cup 2022?
No one knows the answer to this million dollar question. The best one can do now is make an educated guess.
Betting sites known for making such educated guesses have already announced that five-time world champions Brazil will win their long-awaited ‘hexa’ in Qatar.
Several booking sites have named Brazil as the favorites to win the Qatar World Cup, followed by Argentina, England, France and Spain.