Ahead of the 2022 World Cup, as with anything football related these days, a lot of fans are talking about Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Putting aside the latter’s stage-managed moaning, many supporters are already plotting the results that would leave Messi and Ronaldo into a career-defining Argentina vs Portugal final. But there is another generational great who might have something to say about that. World Cup 2022 is Neymar’s best chance yet of inserting himself into the two-horse race.
If Brazil lift the World Cup, fired to victory by Paris Saint-Germain’s Neymar, it will be a defining moment for this generation. The 2022 tournament is looking increasingly likely to be both Messi and Ronaldo’s last World Cup. To have the headlines snatched by the man who has spent much of the period as a distant third-place in the world’s best player debate would be a paradigm shift.
Neymar could also be taking part in his last World Cup. He will be 34 by the time the tournament returns in 2024. That means the forward will be younger than Ronaldo and Messi are now, but every player peaks differently. There is no guarantee Neymar will still be operating at a level that has seen him net 15 goals in 20 games this season.
GROUP G BETTING: Brazil 2/5 Switzerland 5/1 Serbia 11/2 Cameroon 11/1
That electric form is one of the reasons this World Cup feels perfectly-timed for Neymar. Couple his excellent recent performances with the fact Brazil are currently tournament favourites and something special could be on the horizon.
This perfect confluence of factors is also helped further by Ronaldo’s decline. The Manchester United (for now) superstar is enduring his worst season since breaking onto the scene as a teenager. While the player himself puts it down to a club-wide conspiracy to belittle him, it feels like there’s more at play. Ronaldo’s performances have shown the sad reality of a once-supernatural talent realising they don’t have it anymore. He might still surprise us, but it’s unprecedented to see Ronaldo go into a major tournament as long as 18/1 to win the Golden Boot.
TOURNAMENT ODDS: Brazil 4/1 Switzerland 100/1 Serbia 125/1 Cameroon 500/1
Neymar is currently 12/1 for that honour, behind only Messi, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe. But the Brazilian’s game has always been about more than goals. He’s laid on nine assists for his teammates in Ligue 1 this season in 14 matches. A complete attacking force, Neymar can bring the best out of the likes of Raphinha, Richarlison and Antony around him.
He has one less assist for PSG than Messi this season. With Ronaldo out of form, perhaps his teammate will prove his biggest obstacle in Qatar. After some teething troubles in their first season together, the reunion of two-thirds of Barcelona’s old MSN partnership has borne fruit in France. But now they must go face-to-face with legacy at stake. The one black mark against Messi’s career so far is the lack of a World Cup on his illustrious CV. For all his glorious moments as Brazil’s talisman, the same will be said of Neymar if he hands up his boots without winning the big one.
BRAZIL STAGE OF ELIMINATION: Group Stage 6/1, Last 16 5/2, Quarter Final 11/4, Semi Final 11/2, Runner Up 15/2, Winner 7/2
The ‘GOAT’ debate is too far-gone for a third entrant at this point. Nobody is going to allow Neymar to usurp Ronaldo and Messi, especially when this generation of fans won’t even countenance Pele or Diego Maradona being put forward. But winning the World Cup as the talisman of this promising Brazil side would mean Neymar’s name would be inextricably linked with this era of football. No longer the straggler lagging behind greater names, Neymar would be front and centre of any discussion of this time and place in our sport.
GROUP G FIXTURES:
Thurs 24 Nov (10am GMT) Switzerland vs. Cameroon
Thurs 24 Nov (7pm) Brazil vs. Serbia
Mon 28 Nov (10am) Cameroon vs. Serbia
Mon 28 Nov (4pm) Brazil vs. Switzerland
Fri 2 Dec (7pm) Cameroon vs. Brazil
Fri 2 Dec (7pm) Serbia vs. Switzerland
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject to Change
