Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known by his nickname Pele, was a professional footballer hailing from Brazil. He was considered one of the greatest players of all time. As a forward, his stats were unbelievable.
By the end of his career, Pele had become a global icon, representing football. Throughout his career, he built up a plethora of records, and to this date, some of them are yet to be broken.
Pele’s World Cup record that no players have beaten yet
The Brazilian football maestro has an interesting feat added to his name. He was the youngest player to win the FIFA World Cup at just 17 years and 249 days. His countryman, Ronaldo Nazario, was close to surpassing Pele’s record. As of now, his astounding records are not easily breakable. At just 17 years of age, Pele was at the peak of his career, scoring goals and playing matches for his country.
Why isn’t Neymar a Brazilian legend like Pele?
Brazil is known for producing exceptionally skilled football talents. One such extraordinary gem of a footballer is Neymar Jr. Neymar has that Brazilian flair in his feet, takes amazing free-kicks, and has terrific shooting ability in his inventory. He and Pele began their careers at Santos and followed his idol’s footsteps to become one of the greats in football. A few months ago, an in-form Neymar surpassed his idol’s goal tally to become Brazil’s all-time top scorer.
Although Neymar achieved such great heights in his career, he is still not considered a Brazilian legend like Pele. Neymar was the prince who was supposed to be the face of Brazilian football because of the character and talent he showed on the pitch. His tenure at FC Barcelona was the peak of his career. He played alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in their attacking lineup.
However, his dream peak was overturned into a downfall when he signed for Paris Saint-Germain. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the best decision and it is evident that his career graph went on and off after that. At the age of 32, Neymar is yet to win a significant individual trophy like the Ballon d’Or.
Neymar has also been unlucky with injuries throughout his career. He is one of the most fouled players in the world, which makes him prone to a lot of injuries. The Brazilian star rarely makes appearances on the ground. As of now, he’s currently playing for Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League.
Do you think Neymar could have been the next big thing for Brazilian football or world football? Where did he go wrong in his career? Will he be able to redeem himself again? Tell us in the comments.
