Steve Nicol says Neymar is a SHADOW of his former self 😬 | ESPN FC

On ESPN FC, Steve Nicol, Ale Moreno and Gustavo Hofman join Dan Thomas to discuss the report that Neymar could potentialy return to Brazil's national team in March.
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[@AM-my3jk]

Steve is a breadcrumb of his former shadow.

[@l9ino170]

You're a breadcrumb of your former shadow

[@akashhasan408]

@@l9ino170 clown🤡

[@Donvaswani]

facts

[@TriforceRich]

Neymar was phenomenal during his first season at PSG. Definitely a shame about the injuries but he had his moments.

[@dead_r33d]

there is no denial in Neymar’s brilliance and the coach saying they will be better WITH him is a fact. but Neymar cannot save this team anymore unfortunately he cannot even save himself with how shaky his fitness is.

[@makavali-yb7xv]

Is it fact? Because without him brazil finally won a major trophy again(the copa) when he was injured

[@gle3273]

4:01 So we just choose to forget Neymar In World Cup 2022 against Croatia?

[@_A7X]

Prime Neymar is MILES CLEAR of any prem player..Not even up for a debate..All prem fanboys should go to sleep, you've got school tomorrow

[@illgoat]

Neymar is overrated

[@stefan5730]

Yeah he ain't clear of Henry, Rooney, KDB or a bunch of others.

[@sajjanghotane9370]

He is still a very good player but nobody wants a injury prone player in the team.

[@akashhasan408]

@@stefan5730 You don't know anything about football. You might have learned football by watching football reels.🤣🤣

[@okpeomojefe5844]

Yesss. Stick it to them bro.

[@Dante--X]

Brazil thinks Estevao Williams is Lamine Yamal .. seeing stuffs like these ; teenagers struggling to put a stamp on matches and veterans struggling to grab games by the neck shows how unbelievable Yamal is.. This kid can carry any team in the world and make them look good..This shows he's clearly the future of football without a doubt

[@AM2K2]

el raL - imagine creating a 3rd account 🤣🤣

[@98_KT]

With these multiple injuries that he has encountered the past year or so, for sure Neymar would want to prove a strong case for himself on the world stage through the Brazilian national team.

[@Mj_360]

Yes , Neymar have to make comeback and shut these so called pundits of football these people are just trash , Neymar will have to shut the haters by making a comeback and God wills it too

[@bekongwu602]

Couldn’t agree more with Steve Nicole. People tend to romanticize from memory how good the so called naturally gifted footballers are. Especially when they are no longer good. It is funny how it seems to be the case most often for Brazilians. Going back as far as the Brazilian Ronaldo or Ronaldinho. Even though they had remarkable careers, you will still find experts , some on the current ESPN panel even, that love to play “if’s and but’s” when it comes to “super talented players”. You hear things like: if only Brazilian Ronaldo stayed fit, if only ronaldinho did not party so much… what could have been” . Such a childish game should be reserved for kids when they argue about soccer. I myself, whom was once a kid used to do this in secondary school. But as a mature adult, you come to know that it is what you accomplish that defines you, not what you could have accomplished. Like the saying goes: if wishes were horses, beggars would ride”

[@ajithkumaranjalilkrishnan3769]

whens the last time Neymar performed for Brazil, remember copa America final? remember goal vs Croatia ESPN is rubbish

[@rௐண]

They even won a Copa América _without_ him while he never won any major trophy _with_ them. This narrative that they "need" him is only propaganda being spread by Neymar fans who just go off names on a paper. Reality speaks otherwise

[@ajithkumaranjalilkrishnan3769]

@rௐண Yeah, Brazil won at that time not because of how Good Brazil was, but how bad was opponents. That was pre New age Argentina. Look at the statistics Neymar vs non Neymar brazil games

[@rௐண]

@@ajithkumaranjalilkrishnan3769 The 🥇 around their necks and the🏆 in their hands don't say "how bad their opponents were" neither does any trophy won by any team in this era state "how soft football has become". Ppl can play mental gymnastics all they want in order to convince themselves of something that is still, at the end of the day, subjective. The fact is, reality is still unchanged

[@ajithkumaranjalilkrishnan3769]

@rௐண our point about medals and trophies is valid to some extent, but it overlooks the context of how Brazil won the Copa America without Neymar. It's not about discrediting the team's achievement but acknowledging that their path to the title was arguably made easier due to weaker opponents in that edition. Neymar's absence didn't expose any major weaknesses because the level of competition wasn't as challenging. Also, if we’re discussing the quality of football in this era, it’s fair to question whether the overall competitiveness has changed, making such comparisons to past performances more nuanced than simply pointing to trophies. Facts like Neymar's injuries and his contributions in big matches (when fit) show that his presence can significantly elevate Brazil’s chances, regardless of who the opponents are."

[@rௐண]

@ajithkumaranjalilkrishnan3769 Brazil has been in decadence for over 15 yrs now so criticizing the level of competition in any one tournament since then is just semantics at this point as, regardless of the competitive level of the teams around them, their level over the last 15 yrs hasn't been a guarantee of success unlike in bygone eras. However, facts are black and white, everything else like opinions are grey areas. And that fact is, their only major trophy since '07 was won _without_ him rather than with him. The reason for that opens itself up for another set of subjective analyses and opinions but the record still remains what it is

[@dead_r33d]

2:04 Ale when has Neymar NOT been a team player?? ffs this is one of the many negative baseless rhetorics ESPN always share about him. speak on the facts - injuries, yes - but stop the baseless rubbish

[@therealest7179]

He played well for Brazil in 2021 but I would say that’s the last time he really put up Neymar esque performances

[@HaalandFCTV]

How can Neymar be a shadow of himself? He hasn’t played nearly a single minute for over a year. Saying that he’s a shadow of himself implies that he’s actually been playing and not looking like his former self.

[@Donvaswani]

Exactly

[@paulanders4339]

Steve is literally senile.

[@Paulie-Gualtieri]

maybe you should listen before commenting , he said : "since he left Barcelona he is the shadow of his former self"

[@HaalandFCTV]

@@Paulie-Gualtieri I did listen and that’s not remotely true. Neymar had 118 goals and 77 assists in 173 matches for PSG. By comparison, he had 105 goals and 76 assists in 186 matches for Barcelona. He was more productive at PSG than he was at Barcelona.

[@rௐண]

​@@HaalandFCTVSo Mbappé got chastised for playing and "stat padding" in McDonald's Ligue 1 yet Neymar's stats and "productivity" in that same league gets praised. Ppl tend to shift the goalposts when it suits their argument🤦🏽‍♂️

[@gamingking2187]

That is very disrespectful. He’s not a shadow of his former self. He just gets injured easily. It’s always been that way his entire career. If he’s fit best player on the pitch and make professionals look like amateurs. Don’t compare any of the players who are active now to a genius of player that is Neymar. We’re lucky to have him even if he just plays one game every other year. More of a joy to watch than any other footballer in his generation.

[@MaZaCar_Xiaoyu]

4:00 yes Stevie, your brain is very much cluttered 😂

[@Klubvids]

R9 was another example, torres, griezman the list goes on

[@theaquariancontrarian3316]

Neymar is still rolling from the 2018 world cup.

[@Walt145]

The lack of discipline, the injuries, Neymar not playing regularly are valid critiques. Steve Nicol is being very disingenuous when he says things such as Neymar was a shadow of himself when he left Barcelona. Thats not true at all. He was still great at PSG, The stats and his performances show it. Stevie Nicol is better off standing on not rating Ligue 1, then having selective amnesia about Neymar being exceptional PSG. This narrative on him leaving Barcelona mainly holds up because he did not when the CL with PSG, and has not won a major title with Brazil. He played very well in that final against Bayern Munich in 2020, it just did not go his way. As far as Brazil goes the last time we saw him he scored a Brace against Bolivia, and before that He had a really good WC campaign and leading his team really well.

[@wishiknewaname9307]

Neymar isn’t going to save this Brazil. The team is unbalanced and needs more midfielders in the team

[@ez2281]

Which is why they need Neymar 😂😂 their win rate has always been higher with him than without him stop the talk

[@wishiknewaname9307]

@ bro they’re already unbalanced. Add Vini, Neymar, their #9, or Rodrygo/ Raphinha and you’re defending w/ two midfielders and 4 at the back. It’s not good enough. The best teams have proper balance

[@rௐண]

​@@ez2281...and their major trophy win-rate is worse with him than without him as their Copa América triumph showed

[@jimjones3287]

Neymar plays on the LW (well, when he was younger). Vini is consistently rated the worst player for the team when he plays (on the LW). 30 year old Neymar would be an upgrade to 20 year old Vini. Vini has some mental block when on the national team. He can't be arrogant at home (for Brazil) like he is in Spain (for Madrid) and I think that affects his performances.

[@ez2281]

@ you say that like he didn’t get injured half way through

[@TMckenzie007]

Brazil needs a new coach the world can see that. Forget Neymar Leaving Jolinton out is just pure stupidity

[@Robin_Hood1989]

Stevie is very unknowledgeable and should have no credit talking about Neymar.

[@rௐண]

They "need" him so much that they managed to win their only major trophy _without_ him in the last 17 yrs🤦🏽‍♂️

[@shivanshjain4718]

neymar hater go and watch 2021 copa america and 2022 performance vs croatia..neymar is highest goalscorer and highest assister for brazil in history

[@rௐண]

@shivanshjain4718 Context matters, *over half* of Neymar's goals for Brazil were scored in friendlies (58%). Yeah, I watched those games, Brazil lost.

[@Klubvids]

Neymar got replaced thats why you havent seen. What DID neymar stand for? He wasnt allowed to have jesus on his headband at psg nevermind barca and saud not the same person.

[@TMckenzie007]

Steve is just that old guy who just hates and will continue to hates

[@miller3784]

Neymar needs to focus on himself first before he can focus on getting back into the Brazil NT.

[@wiztaylor9366]

Did he just said neymar wasn't a team player who are these guys pull up their stats those guys were average players very average

[@troyjeup2861]

They can’t say this about cr7 😂 Just spitting hate towards him

[@paulanders4339]

Steve is a sock head. Literally carried Brazil when Messi won wc. His performances for psg are so goated. Can him from the desk.

[@amonjr_11]

Neymar is still your only hope, if you think Vinicious can kead you to glory you're "wrong " but the Brazilians can still dream though, they just need the HIM

[@rௐண]

They "need" him so much that Brazil managed to win their only major trophy _without_ him in the last 17 years

[@belalahmad3207]

If brazil is dependent on neymar who has been out with injury for over a year and plays in saudi league, I think that is the most compelling case against vini jr. for not winning ballon d'or. I think even Bellingham is better than him. There should be no case for vini jr. in ballon d'or. He is a system player and can only play with real madrid, unless he proves himself for brazil. Atleast neymar proved himself for brazil by leading them in 2013-2014. Also 2021 copa America. He was excellent for barca and decent for psg. And in santos too

[@rௐண]

You act as though Real Madrid employs some special "system" that is unique to their club. It's an obvious system that hundreds of team use around the world

[@wiztaylor9366]

He produced vs Croatia why didn't vini show up the injured neymar scored the only goal

[@scarimorales2222]

is this 2001 all over again? A change of coach is the first step....

[@khylelewis]

My impersonation of Neymar: me me me me me me me.

[@kwandangqiqo9889]

Haters!

[@reignofpie6945]

Why does anyone care what he does anymore? He hasn't been relevant in years, hasn't won anything of relevance in years, and plays in a league no one watches. He's too old with far too many injury issues to be relevant anymore. And he never accomplished anything, ANYTHING at all once he left Barca. Most overrated and over hyped player in history