While there is still plenty of time for a reversal in fortunes, it is safe to say that 2022 is not turning out like Neymar would have wished.
When his ex-Barcelona team-mate and close friend Lionel Messi decided to join him at Parc des Princes back in August, the Brazilian could have been forgiven for dreaming of a dazzling year to come: first, victory in the Champions League alongside Leo and fellow wing wizard Kylian Mbappe; then, to top it all, a World Cup triumph, leading the Selecao to their sixth trophy at the head of his nation’s Qatar adventure.
Instead, Neymar’s stock seems to be falling by the minute, and PSG’s fans are tiring of his antics and inconsistency.
The vicious reception he received following the club’s humbling at the hands of Real Madrid feels very much like a point of no return at the Parc des Princes for the forward, who has been a shadow of his usual self throughout the current season.
March’s World Cup qualifying double-header against Chile and Bolivia, then, must come as sweet relief, a chance to relax and unwind back home, far from the jeers and scrutiny of the French capital.
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But unthinkable as it may be, even his international spot could be coming under consideration as a host of contenders threaten to push the off-form and apparently uninterested ex-Selecao captain out of the starting line-up.
The 30-year-old’s record this season certainly does not point to a man at the height of his powers.
In 21 outings this season for PSG in all competitions, Neymar has managed just six goals and three assists, and went scoreless throughout the club’s Champions League (mis)adventure.
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In the middle of that underwhelming run was another lengthy injury lay-off due to an ankle problem, which also saw him miss Brazil’s last two World Cup qualifiers in January.
And just this week came another sensitive blow: reports from France that allege that the forward barely trains at PSG and even reports for duty in no fit state to play.
True or not, the airing of such concerns can only further damage his standing in Paris, while also raising alarm bells on the other side of the Atlantic, as even coach Tite acknowledged in the build-up to Thursday’s clash with Chile.
“I have learned over the years a sociological phrase: not equality but equity. One athlete might need something that another does not, different approaches, because we are all different as human beings,” he told reporters. “We have a general concern.
“There are a lot of private things, from inside the dressing room, a personal stamp.
“I will be blunt with you: if one of my coaches when I was a player made my issues public, I would be angry with him: why not come and talk to me before instead of exposing me in public?
“We are so exposed, we are always in the firing line due to our profession.”
Tite still has faith in Neymar’s undoubted talent, and will start him on Thursday alongside Vinicius Junior and Ajax ace Antony to chase a victory that would all but vanquish Chile’s slim hopes of making Qatar.
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Neymar, moreover, remains the Selecao’s most reliable scorer, leading the nation in the qualifiers with seven to date – while when he does turn it on, as in last year’s Copa America, he can make all the difference up front.
A sensitive dilemma nevertheless looms for the Selecao boss should his star continue to languish.
Brazil enjoy an embarrassment of riches in the forward positions: aside from the trio named above, the likes of Richarlison, Raphinha, Gabriel Jesus, Gabigol, Rodrygo and new call-up Gabriel Martinelli are all gunning for a spot on the plane in November.
Desperate to bring the World Cup back to home soil after 20 years, you can be sure that Tite will be picking his squad and starting line-up in Qatar entirely on merit, leaving room only for those in top form.
Neymar’s prestige and dazzling ability will be enough to earn him one of those coveted forward places, but if he does not raise his game in the coming months, the star faces enduring a peripheral role at his third finals, spending more time on the bench than on the field.
It is not too late, of course. The examples of Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Robert Lewandowski and PSG’s executioner Karim Benzema prove there is plenty of life after 30 even for the elite of world football, and there is no reason that Neymar should not be a star not just at the upcoming World Cup but in 2026 too.
To do so, though, he needs to focus on the game itself and pull out of this tailspin of muted performance and questionable discipline.
Otherwise, one of the most gifted players of his generation could be looking at the beginning of the end of his career at the top.
