How Neymar Can be The Messi-ah In Paris

As much as most people dislike or even hate Neymar they are willing to begrudgingly accept that after Messi and Ronaldo say their Adios! and Ciao! to the footballing world, Neymar is the next king. Sure Modric was awarded the player of the year, but everybody knows that this was one hell of a year for the Croat. Whether he can replicate the kind of match-winning contributions next year seems highly unlikely. Mbappe too had an amazing year. It's not every time you see a 19-year-old lift the World Cup, a trophy both Ronaldo and Messi have failed to get their grubby hands on. He is the most exciting teenager. Griezmann, you say? As Sergio Ramos said, not a chance. 

So Neymar is the only player whose levels consistently match or are just below the 2 GOAT's of current football. At Barcelona, he was a game-changing player, which is something very hard to achieve considering Catalans have a roster of great players and one man starting with the letter M. Remember the time he screwed over Paris? When Unai Emery couldn't believe what he was witnessing, it was Neymar, not Messi who took the Parisians by their throats. Messi, Neymar, Suarez made the greatest strike force partnership in history, scoring a blistering 122 or so goals between them when Barca romped to a treble in 2015. The Cules thought that the MSN ( Microsoft should have used them for advertising)  was here to stay. 

And then came the announcement. Neymar was leaving Barcelona. The team he ravaged just a few weeks ago had decided to open their coffers and take the play-maker to the City Of Lights. "Money!" the press said. The chance to become the undisputed leader in the Ligue 1. To finally dethrone Messi and Ronaldo for the coveted Ballon d'Or. 

Surprisingly the press were on point.

 With Messi in the squad, Neymar knew he would never be the alpha man in the team room. The one teammates would look to for moments of inspiration. The one coaches would confer secret game plans. To be able to walk into his contract negotiations and walk out like he ruled the world. This was an ability knighted only to the legendary Lionel Messi. So when Paris came calling, he didn't shy away.

Now, don't get me wrong. Neymar doesn't hate Leo as much as the Madrid fanatics do. They are the best of friends. Neymar just wanted a similar level of worthiness, to reach a cult status among the fans and his teammates. But Messi was such a pure genius, that even on bad days he scored braces, gave 30-yard passes and walked out of the field looking dapper but a tiny Argentinian version of James Bond.

He wants attention. He craves it. Lusts after it even. Footballers are like. Just look at Ronaldo. Everybody knows that if he played those decisive passes and scored those match-winning goals, which ultimately lead to PSG finally winning their coveted champions league, he would become reconsidered all over the footballing world. Cult status in Paris would be assured. People might even forgive him for his diving antics. This is the main reason why Neymar chose PSG rather than several other teams like Man Utd, Real Madrid or Bayern. PSG are never considered one of the Big 5 teams. The chance to carry them to that coveted spot, potentially usurping even Barcelona had left him licking his lips. But as of yet, nothing out of the ordinary has happened. He had failed to take PSG past Real Madrid, and now, in a group containing Napoli, Liverpool and a surprise package named Red Star Belgrade, they are not even sure of making it out of the group stage.

So what does Neymar need to do to become the god of  Paris : 

• Clean up his diving act with fierce rapidement: It has become a common fact that Neymar should have chosen swimming as a profession instead. I bet even Donald Trump ( a man who thinks global warming is a hoax) knows Neymar is a serial diver. While he could get lucky and get a penalty or freekick, more often than not he could be on the receiving end instead, which is seriously damaging for PSG. After his rolling became very televised in the World Cup, more players are targeting him, knowing they can get off with nary a card as referee's are well aware of his diving status. So imagine when he really gets fouled and the referee thinks he dived. PSG could end up losing a penalty. 

• Start being friends with Cavani: Cavani is a PSG legend. Top scorer after the reign of the enigmatic Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Cavani knew it was his time to get out of the shadows. Everyone could see the first season fiasco when Neymar and Cavani fought over a penalty. Neymar believes he is Neo in the Matrix but sorry kiddo, not all the PSG fans are Morpheus. Reports of a million-dollar offer for Neymar to start taking penalties have left Cavani frustrated. Messi never did that. Remember when Messi emerged, Ronaldinho was Barca's undisputed leader at that time. Xavi and Andres Iniesta still existed, maneuvering the fast-flowing beautiful tiki-taka football. Young Messi knew he could only achieve greatness if he had the support of his team. If Neymar doesn't start considering Cavani as a teammate, he could be in for a rough ride with the Parisians. And don't forget the dressing room

• Reduce his ego by a good margin: Ego is good for footballers. Ronaldo and Zlatan are pioneers of big egotistic men. Of them, only Ronaldo is considered the greatest. Why? Because Ronaldo knows how to keep himself and his ego in check. He is a leader. Messi probably has an ego as well and makes sure to put it in things that matter. The entire Barca squad was noticing how singularly focused he looked when he returned from the fiasco in Russia, determined to win the Champions League. You can even see the differences in his performances when you look at his La Liga and Champions League games. Whisper it softly but I think he would be happy to give up on the Liga, which he has won too many times, and take home the Champions League, and stick it under Madrid's white boxers. Ronaldo knows what's asked of him, and has set Juventus on their best-ever start in the Serie A and on the course for the knockout stages of the Champions League. Both players are at an age which is considered past their prime, And yet they still generate the kind of squabbles which lead to potential wars. Neymar needs to work with Tuchel, understand what is asked of him and show it on the field. One of the reasons Unai wasn't successful was because he was unable to handle the egotistic squad. Neymar should understand that he can never be the best in the world unless he is decisive.

At the end of the day, I am proud to say I am a Neymar fan. I love the way he plays, the tricks the swiveling runs, the uncountable nutmegs. He is the biggest star power in Paris. But if he wants to become a legend he needs to up his game. Messi is a genius, while Ronaldo is the pinnacle of hard work. Neymar has both or else PSG wouldn't be spending such exorbitant money just to sell some shirts.