Neymar: A Football Grandmaster at 25

At 25 years old, Neymar is already a footballing grandmaster, and he’s not even at the height of his powers. Here is a look at several of the magisterial qualities of the Brazil and Paris Saint-Germain Number 10.

Neymar is the most technically-skilled player in world football.

Neymar’s dribbling, passing, and shooting are all world-class with both feet. Lionel Messi basically doesn’t use his right foot, and Cristiano Ronaldo’s dribbling and passing is nowhere near as good as Neymar’s. The Brazilian’s technique is perfect with his dribbling tricks, passing, and ball-striking techniques. Even more so than Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, the Paris Saint-Germain Number 10 displays more skill on the ball. It might be controversial to say that Neymar has better technical ability than Messi, but Neymar’s totally mastery of the ball with both feet gives him the edge over the Argentine, who is widely regarded as the best footballer of all time.

Neymar performs equally well for club and country.

Not all players play equally well for club and country, but Neymar does. This itself is impressive because it means Neymar isn’t dependent on certain players to perform. Neymar is a team player, and he thrives whether he is playing with club teammates or Brazilian teammates on the Seleção. The Brazil Number 10 already has a track record of performing well in the World Cup, in the Champions League, and two top European club leagues.

Neymar is a showman who plays with magic.

Like Ronaldinho and Ronaldo before him, Neymar is a Brazilian attacker who plays with magic and is worth the price of admission. Neymar is a player who is always deserving of watching. No matter who the Brazilian is playing against, Neymar is a joy to watch. When you watch Neymar, you are guaranteed magically dribbling, passing, and attacking play. Plus, the Brazilian is always highly-likely to score.

Neymar has world-class statistics

In both goals and assists, Neymar puts up huge numbers. Recently, Neymar was the top assist provider in all of Europe. For all the talk of Neymar’s dribbling and individual play, Neymar is a world-class passer and assist provider. If you play with Neymar, he will pass you the ball and set you up to score. Neymar’s scoring is well-known and well-documented. The Brazilian basically scores a goal per game, and the goals come in the big games as well.

Despite popular opinion, Neymar takes a beating from defenders and is tough.

Neymar has long been portrayed as a diver who fakes contact and rolls around on the ground. The reality is much different. Neymar knows how to avoid horror tackles and hackers by lifting up his knees and throwing his legs up to avoid awkward twists to his ankles and knees. Anyone who watches Neymar play sees the constant body checks, kicks to the shins, and stepping on the toes that he endures. Neymar would be stupid to not avoid these fouls and just let himself get injured.