Neymar has been a little stuck in the last season as a player, his first two years were all about him growing up to become the world class star everybody is expecting. But in the past year, he hasn't lived up to the hype and his game level has diminished dramatically. This game level drop has been mainly because Neymar hasn't been able to really compete against either Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi who are arguably the best players in football history by now. Neymar appeared to become their rightful heir, but so far has hasn't been the player we all expected.
Many of his compatriots have always supported him in every single team he represents, but there are some of them who are also quite disappointed with his progression so far. However, if you look at the numbers and start recalling Neymar's numerous accolades, you can see that he has scored an insane amount of goals already and won all the trophies he can win at club level. The only pending assignment for him is winning something with his national team, compatriot Rivaldo spoke to L'Equipe about Neymar's progression and the chances he has of winning the Olympic Gold medal this month.
Talking to L'Equipe, Rivaldo spoke about his compatriot's progression as a player: "As a Brazilian, I've really enjoyed the progress Neymar has made for the last two years. But for all that he has achieved over the past decade, the excellent season that he was still able to have, but also his immense talent, Lionel Messi is still, for me, the star and the best player at Barca. I think this time, with the quality of the current team, the presence of players with great experience at top European clubs – including Neymar – we've obviously got a real opportunity to get to the top of the podium."
Photo credit: Neymar Jr.