Neymar is going out of the Copa America head first and Brazil is likely to follow him out the door. His four-match suspension from the Disciplinary Tribunal of CONMEBOL fits his crime. Neymar not only headbutted an opponent, but he also managed to chase the referee down the tunnel while insulting him. It was the epitome of petulance, and regardless of his star power, stern action was needed for such an abrasive transgression.
What is not needed is the unearthing of old narratives about the flashy forward being a monster created by the pampering of both club and country.
Neymar is pampered, but so is every star player. Lionel Messi is the king of Argentinaand could have Gerardo Martino fired at his whim. His unhappiness with the manager's tactics at Barcelona was a major determining factor in his Camp Nou tenure ending after just one year. Arturo Vidal, who is being charged with drunk driving after he crashed his Ferrari with his wife inside, is still with the Chilean team as the federation refuses to punish him. If you're a great player, you get special treatment. That's nothing new.
Not only is Neymar ridiculously talented, but he effectively is the Brazilian national team. The team's tactics are staunchly boiled down to "Neymar please save us". He has to win the game either by scoring or creating the chances. It's a testament to his ability, but it also puts him in the cross-hairs of each and every opposing team.
You want to stop Brazil? Stop Neymar. And what's the most effective way of stopping a player who is faster and more skilled than anyone on your team? You kick him. It's an old strategy that hasn't lost its effectiveness even in the golden age of football. Only Messi and his superhuman ability to stay on his feet and decline his own body's warning signs of pain can withstand it. Everyone else can be kicked out of the game if the referee allows it and Neymar is no different.
Peru knew this. Colombia did as well. Carlos Sanchez executed this tactic to perfection and Juan Zuniga, the man who disabled Neymar in the last World Cup, swept his feet off the ground numerous times in the present tournament, all in the name of kicking him out of the game.
Neymar reacted. Not only to the fouls, but what he perceived as weak refereeing as the man in stripes allowed the game to be played on despite the obvious targeting. The only protection from such a game is either the man in charge setting standard of intolerance for it or for his teammates to fight in the same manner for him. It's not as if they were doing anything else really. But he didn't get either and the kettle boiled over.
Now he's been characterized as someone who lacks humility -- a child-star who has become lost in his own fame.
But Neymar, beyond being a world-class talent and the hope of his country and one-third of the best attacking trio in World Football, is 23 years old. He's only acting as he should. It's almost ridiculous to admonish him for it.
What is the difference between his attitude now and that of a young David Beckham in the 1998 World Cup as he was sent off for kicking out at Diego Simeone, a known provocateur? Beckham was 23 years old at the time, as well, and while not as talented as the Brazilian, was a star in his own right.
Did the Englishman not mature with time and experience? Didn't Wayne Rooney after he kicked Cristiano Ronaldo in 2006? And how about Ronaldo after his confrontation with Guy Demel in the 2010 World Cup? If we look at his fellow countrymen, Rivaldo was booed so viciously in his younger days that he threatened to retire. He ultimately helped Brazil win the 2002 World Cup.
While Neymar is more capped and may have been more celebrated than his predecessors, all of them were extraordinary in their own rights. They were all hailed at a very young age, yet the experience of being thrust into the deep waters at infancy couldn't oppress the natural reactions of being a kid. They all did silly things because that's what people in their early 20s do. Mix that in with the enormous pressures of carrying your country's hopes and it's surprising that it took him this long to snap.
These things happen. It's less a show of arrogance or pigheadedness than just the players acting as a young person would in those similar heated circumstances. Money and fame don't change that. Kids will be kids.
Neymar is already en route to being one of the greatest Brazilians to play the game. He will surely eclipse Pele's scoring record with the national team, he's already won the Champions League that the original Ronaldo could not. With the quality of youth talent climbing the ranks up to Brazil's senior squad, there's no reason he won't be able to win the World Cup and other lesser titles. He will be one of the best players in the world in a few years time, if not the best.
The world is at his feet, and for all intents and purposes, and he's done well to take advantage of every opportunity and rise to the challenges. When some suggested that he was merely a YouTube footballer and would never survive in the Spanish league, he went on to become a superstar in a team already burgeoning with them. And when those critics boasted that he couldn't do it for the national team, he dragged Brazil to the knockout stages of the 2014 World Cup as one of the tournament's best players.
All of these accomplishments and the money and the bright lights, as they always do, have misled the public into taking a hard stance against his transgressions. But he's a 23-year-old kid. He will make mistakes -- countless others in similar situations have made them, and they've learned. Neymar will, as well. There's no monster here, just a young man going through growing pains.
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