Do you guys recall how leading up to and during the 2022 World Cup, you have so many people around the world, be it celebrities, athletes, or just casual fans, saying that Messi deserved a world cup. And as they got to the final, it is almost like just this huge support/love for Messi and mass consciousness, propelled him and Argentina to win the world cup. It is almost like it was half effort, half global support. Support for a player the like of which I have never seen.
I even remember getting so mad and furious at people who would say "Messi should win it, he deserves it" and I would often reply with : "Deserved it based on what?" because he played in 4 world cups and never won one or even scored in a single knockout game? if he really deserves it, he should win it based on effort and merit and not because it is Messi.
Well, last few weeks and days, a similar pattern is emerging, with the huge support for Neymar. He is miraculously playing through in injury to help his club Santos avoid relegation, including the game yesterday in which he scored a hattrick. Seeing so many fans on social media, including neutral ones, who are happy to see him make this come back and help his club. It got me thinking: what if all these injuries end up being his rallying cry at the world cup next year, and get so much fan support behind him? As we all know, in previous two world cups, Neymar didn't have the best of reputation and most of the neutral observers wanted him to lose, and as an extension, Brazil. But this time around, people genuinely feel bad for him and the way he has lost so much because of all of his injuries. Yes, just like with Messi and Argentina, Brazil will need to win it with their own effort and not based on fan support. But there is something about that fan support that will mysteriously take you far. it is like the 12th man on the field, rallying behind your back and pushing you.
But Neymar/Brazil will only get this massive global support is if he comes back, humbled, and doesn't resort back to his old theatrics of arguing with referees, opposition players, and constantly asking for calls to go his way. In other words, if he rolls on the floor like he did at the 2018 world cup - made him into a funny meme-it won't help his case and he will quickly lose the support.
I even remember getting so mad and furious at people who would say "Messi should win it, he deserves it" and I would often reply with : "Deserved it based on what?" because he played in 4 world cups and never won one or even scored in a single knockout game? if he really deserves it, he should win it based on effort and merit and not because it is Messi.
Well, last few weeks and days, a similar pattern is emerging, with the huge support for Neymar. He is miraculously playing through in injury to help his club Santos avoid relegation, including the game yesterday in which he scored a hattrick. Seeing so many fans on social media, including neutral ones, who are happy to see him make this come back and help his club. It got me thinking: what if all these injuries end up being his rallying cry at the world cup next year, and get so much fan support behind him? As we all know, in previous two world cups, Neymar didn't have the best of reputation and most of the neutral observers wanted him to lose, and as an extension, Brazil. But this time around, people genuinely feel bad for him and the way he has lost so much because of all of his injuries. Yes, just like with Messi and Argentina, Brazil will need to win it with their own effort and not based on fan support. But there is something about that fan support that will mysteriously take you far. it is like the 12th man on the field, rallying behind your back and pushing you.
But Neymar/Brazil will only get this massive global support is if he comes back, humbled, and doesn't resort back to his old theatrics of arguing with referees, opposition players, and constantly asking for calls to go his way. In other words, if he rolls on the floor like he did at the 2018 world cup - made him into a funny meme-it won't help his case and he will quickly lose the support.