I had wondered what Neymar: The Perfect Chaos was looking to achieve, I finally understood after watching the 3 episode mini-series that was officially released on Netflix on Tuesday, January 25, 2022.
The story of Neymar has always been one the public has always speculated about. From comments on how he lived his life to how he played on the pitch, it has been overly criticized with no sense of understanding, which is why Neymar: The Perfect Chaos was the right outlet for the football star to address these questions and tell his side of the story.
Here are five key points we took from Neymar: The Perfect Chaos:
Early Life And Career
Neymar Jr. had not had the rosy start in his early life and career as most people would have thought. His dad, and now current manager, did not have enough resources to invest in his son’s dream at an early age. Neymar Jr. had actually perfected his craft in football on the streets of Praia Grande, which was located on the outskirts of São Paulo, Brazil, where he was discovered by his first club coach,
He was viewed as a gifted player born with the skills of a legend, and Neymar Jr. had every plan to follow in the footsteps of his idol, “Pele,” at the club Santos. This was where he rose to fame and made a move to Europe. Neymar Jr. said:
“2010 was the fastest year of my life. “Everything went from zero to 100. “
Rough Patch in Barcelona
The move to Spanish La Liga giants Barcelona in 2013 was a defining point in Neymar Jr.’s career. He had moved at a very young age with limited experience in football. He had a very tough time adjusting to the side and playing alongside the biggest names in football. Neymar Jr. mentioned how exhausting it had gotten and that he ended up crying in the locker room till Lionel Messi provided the moral support he needed than with words of advice.
He said
“Messi came and asked me why I was crying, and I told him I hadn’t been able to play, to be my true self. He told me I shouldn’t worry, that he was there to help me and that I should keep going. That support is what I really needed that day. That was the turning point.
World Cup Dreams Crushed in 2014
The 2014 World Cup in Brazil was one event that Neymar Jr. had been so excited about. He had finally gotten the opportunity to represent his country on the grandest stage in football history.
His contribution to his team’s qualification for the semi-finals was cut short when he suffered a fatal blow in the form of a back injury, which forced him to withdraw from the tournament and watch his team lose 7-1 to a ruthless German side.
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He, however, stated,
“When I took the hit, I felt the shock go all the way down to my feet. I couldn’t even turn over. The doctor told me he had some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that ‘you’re out of the World Cup’. The good news is that ‘if the injury was 2 cm to the side, you wouldn’t walk again.
The backlash from the public
After just two years of completing the biggest move in club football history to PSG for the astonishing amount of €220m, Neymar indicated that he wanted to leave the French side in an interview. This was met with a severe backlash from the public and led to him being cyber-bullied.
PSG, however, did not grant the motion and Neymar Jr. realized he had to make the best of every moment and play the game he loved. Neymar Jr., however, at this point, was not sure of how much the backlash had gotten.
He said:
“At first, I couldn’t believe it. Whenever I touched the ball, I was booed. To be honest, I like this climate. Whenever people are rooting against me, I believe in myself. I can do it. I will do it. “
If there is a lesson that we learned from Neymar: The Perfect Chaos, it is the fact that Neymar Jr. remained determined to overcome the adversities he faced on his way. From a poor run of form to battling career-threatening injuries and weathering the storm of angry fans, he remained undeterred and kept moving because he believed in himself as a person and as a player.
Former Brazil and Barcelona teammate Dani Alves said it all with the statement:
“He’s so skilled that, even in the midst of chaos, he manages to excel.”
