If there’s one thing that this lad has done for football…. One thing that we will always remember him for…. The one thing that makes him a true legend of the current game, is: “Yo Ney, Sunny enit?” 🤣🤣🤣
Joking aside, Neymar is a once in a generation type of player who has been touted for absolute greatness since he was 13 years old. If you remember Freddy Edu, you will be able to understand how much traction he was getting in terms of attention at such a young age with Nike offering him a sponsorship deal at the tender age of 15. Let’s make no mistake, Neymar was not just some boy who had a few Samba tricks up his sleeve. Ney was one of the best players in the Brazillian Pro League at the time, and many veteran defenders were terrified to come up against him because he was making them look like bambi on ice with his fancy footwork, but more importantly, he had some serious end product to go with it.
It was only a matter of time until one of Europe’s giants came calling and it was the mighty Barcelona who answered the call, signing the then 21 year old for $84M Euros, and it’s fair to say that he was worth every penny. So, before I even consider his move to P.S.G, theres something that needs to be set right. I’ve been hearing a lot of people in the media proclaim that Neymar wasted his career, and If I’m being completely objective, I have to say that is complete B.S since he was a young superstar in the making, signed for Barca and won everyting that he could’ve, broke the transfer market with his move to Paris, consistently won domestic trophy after trophy (albeit, the Champions league missed him during his time in Paris), won the Copa America with Brazil, and is now on the verge of cashing out in Saudi Arabia. It’s safe to say that there’s a whole heap of jealousy in the air and I’m in camp Neymar all day long!
PLAYER BIO
The Epitome of a gifted baller, Ney’s technical ability is so supreme that it’s only bettered by Messi in the modern game. He’s a joy to watch when on the ball, and makes this sport and his role look absolutely easy
BEST ATTRIBUTES WITHIN SM23
It’s only after taking a deep look into his attributes did I realize that Ney is at a ‘god tier’ when it comes to technical ability. Don’t take non of these for granted as it shows that this is one of the only players in World Football who can single handedly win a match on his own even if the support cast around him isn’t the best. All in all, we should be satisfied with his attributes.
BEST ROLES
Although he started his career as a ‘Technical Winger’ and is now considered a ‘Deep-lying Forward’, he rarely plays the ‘DLF’ role anymore and no longer wants to start high and wide, so Neymar’s best position will always see him operating like a ‘Floating Adavnced Playmaker’ with one or 2 exceptions Even if you chose to play him out wide in a formation like the 4-2-3-1B, Ney will still aim to get into central positions, floating around the pitch with 100% freedom; Whenever Ney plays directly central surrounding by players who are providing width, his playmaking abilities comes to the front which means he’ll prefer to operate as a ‘Classic No.10’ As I just mentioned, Ney will always fancy operating as a ‘Floating Advanced Playmaker’ whenever he is being tasked to play out wideWhen playing in a front 2, it is advised that you choose a formation like the 4-4-1-1 as it allows him to operate as a ‘Support Striker’ which is also something Neymar can do quite easilyIn a back 3 formation (3-4-2-1 to be specific) you will be amazed at his consistent performances which is down to the fact that this is one of those formations that has Ney playing in a near perfect system for his style and ability
HOW TO BEST USE HIM
He wears the No.10 for a reason and will always want to be at the centre of every play occurring in possession. You will learn the difference between playing him as a ‘FAP’ and a ‘Classic No. 10’ shortly…
WHO ARE THE BEST TEAMATES?
Every player has his strengths and weaknesses, and while Ney will continually display world class performances game after game, he is one of those players that require A LOT of love and care (which is my way of saying that he must be the main man or you simply won’t get anything from him). So, choosing Neymar in your team means you will need the right type of players around him. Firstly, the number 1 teammate needed will be a ‘Ball Winning Midfielder’ since Ney is not an active presser and prefers to conserve his energy for attacking bouts. So, no matter where Neymar plays, a ‘BWM’ must be present. Secondly, Neymar is a player who has incredible football intelligence and needs to have someone of the same style of him that can read his plays (which is why he plays his best football with Messi, Suarez and Mbappe). So, a similar style ‘FAP’ will be needed especially when using narrow style formations like the 4-2-3-1A or the 4-3-2-1, for exampleWhen playing outwide, the formation determines who you should consider using alongside Ney. The ‘BWM’ remains mandatory, while a ‘Wingback’ will be needed to provide the width since Neymar will not be staying out wide at all. Additionally, when you have a flair type player who doesn’t like to defend playing out wide, you will need a ‘Box to box’ Midfielder to cover for their defensive frailties since B2B’s are one of fittest players in soccer and can cover for man like Ney since he’s too good on the ball to give defensive responsibilities Neymar is a player who does not like to be given any form of instructions, which is why he’s always had this ‘bad boy’ persona given to him based on his playing style. But, when the right formation and teammates come together, you can absolutely implement his world class passing and creativity which should ONLY be done when using the 4-2-3-1B. In this formation, Neymar will be your main playmaker, dictating the tempo of the game and looking to make those decisive passes into other attacking teammates. The entire team should be molded to suit him, therefore you will need a ‘Winger’ outside to keep the width, stretching the opposition to open up more space for Neymar, at least one ‘Wingback’ overlapping consistently, and your mandatory ‘Ball Winning Midfielder’Although I mentioned that Neymar rarely plays as a ‘Deep-lying Forward ‘these days, that dosen’t mean he cannot play the role anymore. In fact, playing him here could potentially unlock some aspects of his game even more. But, you need the right players around him, and those players will need to be ‘Wide Forawards’ who are constantly looking to make runs to get in on Neymar’s passing.Ofcourse, whenever you ate using a ‘DLF’ as your F(C) then you should not be looking to use him (with a slight exception that we’ll be discussing in a future episode)When it comes to comparing Neymar to other players, the only one who comes close stylistically is Lionel Messi. But the one difference between the 2 is the fact that Neymar is more mobile player which means that he is comfortable making off the ball runs for himself and for teammates. Hence the reason why he can play as your ‘Support Striker’. He will need a ‘Target Man’ alongside him, however…In our final image, we have the formation that will get Neymar playing so well that you’ll think you’ve just been granted a cheat code. Although you still need to have the right teammates around him, there’s something about the 3-4-2-1 that gets him into Balon d’or (or, soccermanager’dor) levels of performances game after game.
The most polarizing player on planet earth, I absolutely love watching Neymar play and he will go down as one of the greatest Brazilian players ever. I hope he stays in Europe for a bit longer, but even if he dosen’t, he’ll be leaving with nothing else to prove.
The Soccermanager Experience 