Football goes hand in hand with modernity and immediacy. It couldn’t be otherwise. Therefore, it is not surprising that, after one or two good seasons, a 20-year-old boy is the great hope to become the new Messi or Cristiano.
However, the reality indicates that the monsters of any sport base their legends not only on their talent and appearance, but also on a sustained greatness that keeps them at the top every year.
Talking about the “new Messi or the new Cristiano” is really disrespectful. Today, the only footballer who can be close to the legends mentioned above, with all their controversies, recurring injuries and an inconsistency that does not disappear, is Neymar.
If Messi, the best player in the world for more than a decade, has an immediate heir, he is none other than the Brazilian. Only he can get closer, because, like the Argentine, he is able to generate play, to influence him and even to define him, and not only through objectives.
The assistance he provided last week for Paris Saint-Germain’s second goal against Bayern Munich in the first leg of the quarter-finals of the Champions League is only in the head of Neymar and no one but a footballer of its radius, cannot drive it.
The South American is at a perfect age (29 years old) when he has everything to take over Messi and write a legacy. The closest thing is to win a second Champions League, now with another team; and in less than two years, he will play the third World Championship with Brazil.
As if that wasn’t enough, everything indicates that he no longer intends to leave Paris, that he is forming a club that will fight for many years at the top of Europe. It is not a small thing to beat a historic Bayern on a visit, although the tie is not resolved.
Kylian Mbappé is an exceptional player, world champion at an early age (22 years old) and with infinite potential. It is not unreasonable to believe that he can be Messi’s successor at some point; However, today Neymar has a few steps ahead of him, which are related to the experience and conditions of football.
Erling Haaland is a pleasant and invigorating surprise, but he has been recording his ability to score for Borussia Dortmund for only two seasons.
Thus, without any desire to withdraw Messi, who is about to turn 34 years old and who has at least a few more seasons at the highest level, the only one who is currently seizing the throne is called Neymar.