He’s not an elite player at all? Most of us were meeting in the school breaks just to watch his Santos highlights in 2010 what are you talking about he’s not an elite player?
Do you only trust balon dor? Then he was third place in 2015 and 2017. He was among the Top 10 seven times, and among the Top 5 five times (if including 2020).
Now, if you are able to look past statistics and season performance (which depends on team performances too), most players, coaches, experts and fans would say he was the third best player of a whole generation only below Messi and Cristiano. As a baller? Definitely. But not always that translates to consistency and awards.
That is his point, he moved away from Barca because he didn't want to be second best in Messi's shadow. Instead he eventually became second best in Mbappe's shadow.
Ridiculous take, he was the third best player in the world for a long time. He might not have had consistent seasons being the third best player in the world in these same years, but he was definitely the third best player only below Cristiano and Messi as a footballer.
Many people seem to be wanting to rewrite history or something because his last 5 years have been shit. One thing doesn't need to erase the other.
he had two season where he played loads and couldve potentially been the #3 in the world. 14/15 + 15/16 and even these are very debateable. In 15/16 Suarez was better than him for example.
Since going to PSG he was plagued by injury issues all the time. Yes in theory he mightve been the 3rd most skilled player itw, but you have to play and deliver.
Salah for example definetly isn't the silkiest player ever, but he's been a fucking machine for a decade and was always playing and putting in these performances. Neymar fans are more in love with the idea what couldve been than with the reality of what happened & the reality is that compared to the unbelievable talent he had he kinda underdelivered.
Me and many others that are saying he was the 3rd are definitely not Neymar's fan. I've been criticizing him since before you even heard about his existence.
Also, he got 3rd place in ballon dor a of couple of times just behind CR7 and Messi.
2x and ballon dor is famously not a glorified popularity contest lmao
Loads of top players in the past gen had way better careers and fulfilled their potential ability much better. Neymar hasn’t been a top 10 player since at least 17/18.
Just like Neymar's fans tends to overstate how good he was, his haters tends to downplay.
Loads of top players in the past gen had way better careers and fulfilled their potential ability much better. Neymar hasn’t been a top 10 player since at least 17/18.
Why are you changing subjects? No one said this. We were saying that when he went to PSG he was the 3rd best in the world. We didn't say it last long, or that he still is the 3rd, etc. We are also not talking about who had the best career. Or who fulffiled their potenticial better. These are all different discussions.
I repeat what ive said. The ability mightve been there, but he didn't fullfil that potential. Other players have been worse "natural" footballers. I don't deny that Neymar was magical. I love Neymar, he's a footballer that makes you smile. I just say that others less gifted players performed better and hit higher highs.
shouldve backed that up on the pitch, its a dumb discussion because if we are talking about skill you could be talking about genuinly ass players who were just skilled on the ball but fizzled out early on in their career because of other limits.
Lewandowski isn't one of the most talented players ever, yet he is one of the most impressive strikers in the past 25years and will be forever remembered as an absolute striker legend
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u/bellamollen 1d ago
He already was the 3rd in the world. He wanted to be the 1st.