The boy Neymar is finally living up to the great hype that he garnered when he was ripping things up at Santos. At his age already, he's been put in the same sentence as Messi and his shortlist on the Ballon D'OR (dumb award) is proof that he has finally arrived as one of the very best footballers on the planet.
No two players are ever exactly the same. Just by the laws of nature, the way in which we move is unique to our own selves and that is what makes life and football so good to watch, celebrating the difference that exists. But there are similarities that still exist though. Messi and Maradona, Riquelme and Pirlo, Hummels and Beckenbauer, Falcao and....
For Neymar, everyone thinks of Ronaldinho. His bravado on the pitch, the way in which he dribbles, position he plays in and of course following in his compatriots footsteps by playing for the Catalan club. With the rise of the boy Neymar or The Truth as he is now known, one must ask the question as to if he reaches his peak, can he possibly surpass the greatness of Ronaldinho?
Let's not mince our words. Ronaldinho was a very special player. There may have been many amazing footballers who we've had the pleasure of watching, but not many have been as unique as what Dinho was. The best way to explain it when people ask what made him special, is simple. You just have to recall the times you play football on the street with friends, and there's that one guy doing crazy skills. You would applaud him, but then say there is no way he'd pull off any of those moves in a professional match.
Not quite for Ronaldinho.
The things he was able to do on a football pitch were criminal. You just weren't meant to do the kind of things he was able to achieve. There have been players who have attempted such things, and been either tackled or hacked to pieces. But more times than not, some of the most elaborate moves actually came off when Ronaldinho did them. That is what made him so special and why he has cemented his place in history.
Neymar hasn't done the kinds of things Dinho did. He's got time though, so who knows what kinds of moves he can pull off to make us all leap up from our sofas, spilling our drinks as we scream in excitement and adulation. Neymar though has been playing more of the playmaker role. I see him as far more of a creator than Dinho was.Even though Ronnie was able to create some great chances for his teammates, his game was more attack based rather than being the creative type. Neymar is perhaps more all round. He can attack, score goals, dribble, but in Messi's absence, he's shown his got that rare eye for the difficult pass, and can be the quarterback of the team. And no, that sport is not called football, it's called American Handball.
It's hard to say unequivocally whether Neymar can straight up be better than Ronaldinho. I believe that if Neymar reaches his potential, he can surpass Dinho in certain aspects but in others, Ronnie will never be beaten. So on the one hand, Neymar can lead Brazil to a World Cup triumph and consistently be at a high level for Barcelona in the same way that Messi has been. In that sense he would have surpassed Dinho, who wasn't playing at the very highest level over five or six seasons. He was pretty out of this universe for the two or three seasons when he was at the height of his force though.
But as good as Neymar, Messi, Robben and all the players playing today and those that have retired. None of them had that unique quality Ronnie had. The way in which he played the game, with that big grin, and how he moved on the pitch, like a Samba dancer. He motivated all of us to grab our boots, steal a ball and see if we could pull off his tricks on an astroturf or pitch. There's just not been anyone like him. He made football fun to watch, and entertained anyone who claims to love this sport. Neymar is a superb footballer and he's one my personal favorites, but he doesn't have the fun-factor in a box office sense that Ronaldinho had. Although, in a few of his matches, he's really entertained.
Whatever the case, I can't wait to hopefully see Neymar develop and see what kind of player he becomes. That's why I'm not a fan of comparing one player with another. Everyone is different, and each player creates their own legacy unique to themselves. Ronaldinho's mystique will never be surpassed or forgotten, so let Neymar be his own player and let's sit back and enjoy the ride.
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