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Neymar is one of the most gifted players of this or any other generation. His playing style, personality and the decisions that have shaped his career also make him one of the most polarising athletes of recent times.

But is he also one of the unluckiest players we’ve ever known? Seb Stafford-Bloor explains why he might be. Marco Bevilacqua illustrates.

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30 Comments

  1. Simple answer to the question is no he was the most entitled though Mbappe has took the mantle now got them 2 prima Donna’s and Messi strolling around feel sorry for any manager brilliant players the only one entitled to do a bit less work is Leo

  2. Pogba also deserves a shout for being unlucky. ReJoining the team you started your career at only for it to be during their worst period in history, plus all the injuries, must be hard to take for him

  3. He HAS been extremely unlucky… This guy was destined to be the beginning of the End of Ronaldo nd Messi Era.
    But he did make the most of it and made a lot of money nd became somewhat of a marketable player at least🤷🏾‍♂️

  4. Yes, he is being fouled a lot and that would probably prevent any player for playing an entire competitive season. But then again Messi is being fouled comparatively often, so is Grealish, so was Hazard during his time at Chelsea, but they didn’t miss nearly as many games. The way you treat training and recovery makes a huge difference, and it might be just why this happens to Neymar but not to other top players.

  5. I used to feel that Neymar was a huge diva. Football is a sport where players are known for over-dramatizing reactions. A guy will get nudged and then act like he was just hit by a truck, roll around, scream in pain, hold some random part of his body, and then if the ref doesn't call anything, he'll just get up and get back to playing. Neymar seemed like the worst of the lot. I remember seeing him get tackled rather innocuously and then literally roll 8-9 times in a row like he's some kid rolling down a hill. This was his early legacy: The guy who overly oversold the slightest touch. Everyone agreed that he was a great player, but his antics would detract from that. And in a high-testosterone world like professional sports, I wouldn't be surprised if that kind of activity led to the overly hard tackles that resulted in these injuries. Sort of the "stop crying or I'll give you something to really cry about" mindset. So players got rougher and more aggressive with their play against him. If he's going to drop from the slightest touch, might at well make that foul worth it and REALLY hit him. Or I wouldn't be surprised if some of it was just basically bullying him because of the kind of dramatics he was known for.

    Regardless, all this ended up with one of the great players of this generation just constantly sidelined and injured, but he still continues to play at an exceedingly high level through all of this. It's just sad to see how much physical abuse he's taken over the years.

  6. For Neymar to return from injuries everytime and still dominate UCL tells you everything. From the freekicks to the pens to the 1v1s . PSG is nothing without him. Even with messi and mbappe 🥴

  7. After watching this, it makes me appreciate messi a bit more. He is not only a phenomenal player, but also exceptional at not getting injured often. This ability to anticipate injury inducing tackles and dodging them is perhaps the most important factor in achieving everything he did.

  8. The crazy thing about Neymar he is never out of form. Many players lose their career after suffering many injuries like Bale, Hazard, etc. But whenever he is injured and makes a comeback, he will be at top form from the first game itself.

  9. Unlucky to be part of the same generation as Messi and Cr7. Otherwise people wouldn't be so harsh on him even if he is a bit unprofessional.

  10. His simulations in the pitch, his selfish style of play and a lack of discipline that have affected his physical performance over the years makes me feel little regard for him as a player. He could have been much more

  11. Neymar is still a phenomenal player despite all the ups and down. He entertained the footballing world with his flair and skills and for that he’ll always be special imo

  12. I find it surprising the writers didn’t address the elements of training that are designed to protect from recurring ankle injuries. yes freak accidents happen. But there’s no such thing as habitual freak accidents especially to the same region of the body. We’ve seen it cross sport I just don’t know enough about his private strength training to comment on if he’s pursuing the plan that modern literature has proven to significantly improve and protect a player with vulnerable ankle injury, especially lower, from repeated damage.

  13. I believe Neymar could have avoided some of these injuries if he had dedicated an offseason to bulking up his physique. His play style is very similar to Ronaldo during his early years at Man United. Ronaldo was quick and flashy but relatively ineffective until he hit the weights. Neymar could probably bounce off some of these challenges and gain extra explosiveness through work in the gym

  14. Why is the video neglecting to mention his antics and diving as a reason for his targeted fouls from opposition? Making it out entirely to be about his skill?

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