Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Neymar Should Stay In Brazil

After weeks of speculation, it now appears that future Brazilian superstar forward, Neymar, will be moving on to play for Chelsea in the Premier League. Chelsea has upped their 17 million pound offer to 25 million. Neymar also seems to have warmed up to the idea of playing in England.
Besides the lure of more money, the EPL will allow Neymar to showcase his talents on the world's biggest stage. At least until 2014, anyway.
Neymar's addition will only bolster an already dominant Chelsea side that is coming off a 6-0 dismantling of West Bromwich Albion in their EPL opener. But where will Neymar fit in? Chelsea is already stacked at the forward position.
Neymar has already said he isn't open to a switch if he's going to sit on the bench for a foreign team. It would indeed be a shame to see the most exciting 18 year old player in the world wasting away on a championship team's bench.
If Neymar does move on to Chelsea, perhaps his best chance of starting would be on the right, alongside Malouda in the center, and Drogba on the left. Malouda and Drogba combined for five of Chelsea's six goals on Saturday.
The right side is currently being manned by the disgruntled and disappointing Nicolas Anelka. Anelka just found out he would be suspended for 18 international matches after an altercation with his coach while playing for the French national team in the 2010 World Cup.
Anelka has handled the situation poorly, claiming he had no intention of representing France in the future anyway. Anelka's maturity has been called into question during his club play as well. Many Chelsea fans would rejoice in his demotion to the bench.
The issue is if Neymar is ready to play in Europe at this point in his career. He's only 18 and still very small. I looked up his size: 5'9, 119 pounds. I'm bigger than him, and everyone is bigger than me. The Premier League is much more physical than the competition Neymar has been facing in Brazil.
While Neymar can surely outrun all of the slow-footed Englishmen he'll be up against, it's unclear if his body will be able to hold up during an entire EPL season.
This is why Neymar should stay in Brazil for a few more seasons. Obviously, it's difficult to pass up all that money, but his career will benefit from delaying this move. He's only 18 and still has some growing (physically and mentally) to do. There's no question that he's talented enough to play in Europe right now, but playing in Brazil will allow him to hone his skills without the 'do or die' pressure that goes hand in hand with playing for a big market team in England.
We also can't downplay the significance of adapting to a new country and culture, all while dealing with immense expectations on the pitch. Dealing with all of the extra off the field stuff comes with life experience, and Neymar doesn't have much of that yet. Coming from someone who likes this kid, and wants him to succeed, I don't think he should jump ship just yet.
If you need any further convincing, consider that Pele said that Neymar isn't ready to play in Europe yet. I can't blame you for not taking my opinion seriously, but when Pele speaks, I suggest you listen. 

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