Over the weekend, Twitter and other online media outlets were buzzing about Neymar saying in a recent interview that WC 2022 will be his last, as he doesn’t want to deal with the pressure of soccer etc. Not sure how you feel about this , but here are my thoughts:
-Whether he said it or not, based on what se have been seeing, we will be lucky to get a 70-80% in form Neymar, never mind coming back in 2026 where he will be 34!
-While he may have been saying what is on his mind, I don’t know if it needed to be said. First off, it will confirm what his critics are saying lately, that he simply doesn’t care and as a result , getting in shape is not a top priority.
-This also shows lack of hunger. I didn’t see the likes of Messi or CR7 saying this at his age and don’t see them saying it even now when they know they have one WC left in them, after having already played 4. And even if they know it, they probably wouldn’t announce it or attribute it to pressure. Don’t show your cards!
-While I didn’t read the full interview or what type of ‘pressure he is referring to , I am disappointed because we have always known Neymar to be someone who not only doesn’t mind pressure but even thrives in it. And with aging, while expectations will increase, he should have more experience to deal with it.
Someone made a good point here after CA (could have been me?) : that after finally winning a NT title, Messi will go into that WC a little more relaxed and with less pressure , since he did manage to win something after all. This would have been the same for Neymar. Sure, winning a historic first Olympic gold for Brazil should have helped, unfortunately it didn’t in WC 2018 or CA 2022.