PENYERANG BARU DARI BRAZIL

 Neymar da Silva Santos Junior

Brazilian football continues to produce highly-talented youngsters who go on to become household names in the elite leagues of European football. The latest of this crop of players is Santos striker Neymar, an incredibly skilled 18-year-old who is destined to follow in the footsteps of idol and club team-mate Robinho, or to a greater extent the footsteps of Santos and Brazilian football legend Pele. Although still very young Neymar — who is valued at €30 million — has demonstrated sufficient potential to be amongst the greatest strikers in Brazilian football history, but with the number of incredibly talented players the country has produced over the years living up to the hype will be a daunting challenge.

Neymar joined Santos at age nine, but made his professional debut with the club in 2009 when 17. Since then he has received ongoing praise for the amount of quality he possesses on the football field. The youngster is extremely skilful, and catches the attention of onlookers because of his lighting speed and technical ability. Much in the same manner as Robinho he has a cathedral of tricks up his sleeve, and his incredible dribbling skills and high scoring-rate allows him to stand apart from the rest.

Can Neymar replicate Robinho…Pele?

Because Neymar’s characteristics are identical to that of Robinho’s, the player has received ongoing comparisons with the former Real Madrid and Manchester City ace (Robinho is on loan to Santos from City). But to a much greater extent, the Brazilian press have even gone to the extreme of comparing him to Pele — it is much too early to make such a comparison. Observers are confident that a bright future with the Selecao awaits him, even if Neymar has yet to make an appearance for the five-time world champions.

Neymar clearly has what it takes to succeed in one of Europe’s top clubs, however, he intends to remain at Santos before making the big leap in order to mature and to help Santos win local and international trophies. This seems the best way to go as when representing Brazil at the U-17 World Cup in 2009, Neymar performed well below his potential as the Brazilians crashed out in the first round. A weight of expectation continues to lie on Neymar’s shoulders, but even if talented, to get the most out of the striker he can’t be rushed.

What the future holds…

Even before making his official debut for Santos, Neymar attracted the attention of several top European clubs including Spanish giants Real Madrid (club he briefly played for as a youth player) . His unique talent was clearly noticeable, but despite impressing the Spaniards Santos rejected Madrid’s offer, before presenting him with an opportunity to play for Santos’ first team. With Santos he has lived up to his potential, and even if still young, it just seems a matter of time before he signs a lucrative contract with a major European club. In April, 2010, Madrid again expressed their desire to sign the player, but he will have to weigh his options, as reportedly Barcelona, Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, Manchester City and AC Milan are also after his signature.

Neymar has been the talk of Brazilian football for several months now, and his outstanding form in the Sao Paulo State championship with Santos this year — he has scored 12 goals — has kept alive his chances of making Brazil’s 23-man squad for the World Cup in South Africa. Due to his performances with Santos, fans and the Brazilian press alike have pressured Dunga into selecting the talented prodigy, much like Brazil did with Kaka in ’02, Ronaldo in ’94 and Pele in ’58.

The great Pele is even in favour of his inclusion, stating: “If I were the coach, I’d take him (to the World Cup). Some say he is too young, but at 16 years of age I was already in the national team.” Whether Neymar makes the cut or not, he is destined to become an integral part of the Selecao in the near future. Expect to see a lot from Neymar in the coming years.

Player Details

Full name: Neymar da Silva Santos Junior
Position: Striker
Date of Birth: February 5, 1992 (18)
Place of Birth: Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil
Height: 1.73 metres
Club: Santos