The world has been waiting for the next Pelé for decades. Neymar da Silva Santos Jr. was among the Brazilians to inherit that expectation, and though he has accomplished plenty in the game, Neymar has never come close to matching Pelé's accomplishments with Brazil’s national team.
This World Cup could be one of his last chances. Not that Neymar is old — he turns 31 in February — but injuries have been piling up, and he might not make it to 2026, when the World Cup will be played in the US, where he made his Seleção debut in 2010.
Yes, Neymar pulled within a goal of Pelé's all-time Brazil record of 77 goals in a 4-1 victory over South Korea Monday. But, with Pelé, Brazil captured three World Cups. They haven’t made it to the final during Neymar’s reign, and don’t even have a consolation prize, such as a Copa America win, to show for his 12-year stint.
In fairness to Neymar, he probably should have been called in to the national team for the 2010 World Cup, when he was firing in goals for Pelé's old club, Santos. Neymar might have helped Brazil get past the quarterfinals in South Africa and, maybe, matched Pelé's accomplishment of winning the event as a teenager.
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And until Neymar leads Brazil to a major trophy, he will never be regarded on a level with Pelé, or any of those who have participated in Brazil’s five World Cup wins.
Not that Neymar should be overly bothered, as his paycheck exceeds anything Pelé earned from playing contracts. Pelé could have named his price as a player but was declared a “national resource” and was prevented from leaving Brazil for Europe. Neymar named his price and Qatari-financed Paris Saint-Germain did, paying a $263 million transfer fee to Barcelona to acquire him in 2017.
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Yet, no amount of money can buy the reverence of Brazilians, who consider futebol a religion. And the road to the Dec. 18 final is about to start getting bumpy for Brazil: Croatia in the quarterfinals Friday; Argentina or the Netherlands would await in the semifinals; then, the final — a possible rematch of the 1998 title game against France.
For Brazil, that might be getting ahead of the game. For now, Neymar should be encouraged by his recovery from a right ankle injury to play 81 minutes against the South Koreans.
There appeared little doubt about the legitimacy of Neymar’s injury when he departed Brazil’s opening World Cup match against Serbia. But, deserved or not, Neymar has gained a reputation for going down easily — diving, say the detractors. It is a label he can’t easily escape, even in Brazil, where he has been nicknamed “Cai Cai” (literally “Fall Fall”) with more than enough evidence to provide content for social media videos. But it can be difficult to stay on your feet when you are consistently targeted by foes, and Neymar’s injury history gives an indication of the punishment he endures.
Normally, when Neymar is out of action, it is the biggest news in Brazil, as it was when he missed key games in the 2014 World Cup. Now, though, the country is more concerned with the health of Pelé, who has been undergoing treatment for colon cancer and heart problems.
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Pelé has been transmitting messages of optimism for the national team via social media from a Sao Paulo hospital. And there seems to be a feeling this team can capture the “Hexa,” its sixth World Cup. It doesn’t help that Brazil lost Gabriel Jesus and reserve defender Alex Telles to knee injuries, but the roster shows depth at nearly every position. There are even ostensible backups for Neymar. But Neymar presents unique abilities to set up teammates, finish off plays, and even seems to be providing leadership.
Neymar is no longer Brazil’s captain — the team’s coach, Tite, wisely transferred that designation to defender Thiago Silva — and he probably never should have been in that role. As a playmaker and goalscorer, Neymar had enough responsibilities without having to deal with referees and, besides, it is difficult to plead for the team when you are continually getting knocked to the ground. Now, Neymar can concentrate on performing and leading by example. Okay, it might not look good if Neymar seems like he’s begging for a call; but the fact that he plays hurt can be inspiring enough.
And Neymar should not expect anything to lighten up. Upcoming are European foes and, possibly, Argentina. That means uncompromising defenders, rough treatment, and whatever else rivals can throw at him. Pelé was so banged up on national team duty that he did not play for Brazil after age 30. If Neymar can just survive long enough to get to this final, that might be good enough for Brazil to win it.
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Frank Dell'Apa can be reached at frankdellapa@gmail.com.