NEYMAR NEEDS TO GO BACK TO BARCELONA

THE mercurial Neymar is a player with immense talent but he is yet to reach his full potential.

Neymar rose to prominence in 2013 when he signed with Spanish giants, Barcelona.

He played a pivotal role as Barca captured the Uefa Champions League, two La Liga titles, three Copa Del Rey titles and the Fifa Club World Cup.

Obviously the iconic Lionel Messi took centre stage in Barca’s success at that time. He was the main man.

Neymar will be 28 years old next year and his cjances of capturing the World Footballer of the Year gong are fast diminishing. Time is not waiting for him.

Joining PSG was the worst decision that Neymar has ever made. Financially, it was a good deal but if he was serious about being the next best thing in the global football, he should have stayed at Barcelona.

There’s no doubt that he was going to win trophies with PSG. They are a dominant force in France. But that is just about it.

The only way that Neymar was going to increase his chances of walking away with the World Footballer of the Year award was by winning the Uefa Champions League.

Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been on top of their games for more than a decade. There’s no player that has come close to their level in the past decade. Even Neymar himself. He needs to mature in his game.

There was a stage when Ronaldo and Messi were raw. They were so obsessed with dribbling. The duo is now more about goals than dribbling. They know that it is goals that win matches and not simply showing off your skills.

I guess that’s why they hardly ever get injured like Neymar does. Obviously Neymar is a Brazilian and he boasts that flair which reminds us of players such as Ronaldinho and Rivaldo.

These were entertainers of note during their prime. They both won the World Footballer of the Year award when they were plying their trade in Spain.

Rivaldo won it during his spell with Barcelona in 1998. Ronaldinho was also at the Catalans when he was crowned the best player in the world in 2003 and 2004.

Neymar needs to move back to Barca if he is serious about being crowned the best player in the world. Messi is now 32 years of age and Ronaldo is 34. He will take centre stage in the next two seasons if he can move back to the Catalans.

Staying at PSG will minimise his chances of winning the World Footballer of the Year prize because I don’t see them winning the Uefa Champions League, which contributes a lot towards a player walking away with the Ballon d’Or.

He needs to move back to Barcelona and he will stand in a good chance of winning the World Footballer of the Year title.