FIFA World Cup 2018 was supposed to be Brazil's tournament. It was supposed to be the tournament where Neymar officially ascended to the throne as the new flag-bearer of football. When people would glance at the World Cup, they would see a little Brazilian magician weaving his magic and making people addicted to the beautiful game.
But what we saw was a man so out of his depth that his theatrics is what people will remember the most of Neymar involvement in the World Cup. Neymar spent more time lying on his back or complaining about being fouled rather than on his feet. He has become the laughing stock of the World Cup to such extent that people have started joking that he should be given an Oscar for his "acting". In addition, you won't escape social media without seeing a troll or meme about Neymar's acting.
Neymar's Ridiculous Acting
Neymar came into the World Cup as one of the heavyweights of the game. He along with the likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Eden Hazard were supposed to lead their nations to glory. Brazil entered the World Cup with one of the favorites, having not lost a competitive game in 2 years. Neymar was in sensational form and was touted to be possibly the most important player of the entire tournament. But what we saw in the World Cup was a man who was a shadow of a man we've come to know over the years.
While his performance wasn't exactly terrible, his others antics are what made him the laughing stock of the World Cup. He would fall down without even being fouled and stay down in the hopes of getting the attention of the referee. While it is true that he was targeted by the opposition defenders, only a handful of tackles actually warranted a foul. Most of the time, he would perform a "dive" inside the penalty area just in the hopes of getting a penalty.
One thing that we must consider is that Neymar played in the World Cup while not being 100%. He had just returned from a season-ending injury suffered while playing for PSG. But that excuse the fact that Neymar spent an astonishing 14 minutes on the ground, screaming in agony even when barely touched by his opponents. He was an actor rather than a footballer during the World Cup.
Neymar couldn't be the leader that Brazil was looking for. The fact that he was probably Brazil's worst outfield performer says volumes about his involvement in the World Cup. Players like Willian and Phillipe Coutinho lead the charge for Brazil while Neymar did literally nothing. He did score 2 goals, but he couldn't put on scintillating performances for his country like the ones by Kylian Mbappe, Luka Modric, and Hary Kane for their country. This was probably most evident in the quarterfinals when Brazil was trailing against Belgium, as Douglas Costa led the attack from the right wing while Neymar was a bystander on the left wing. Even with his team, he resorted to diving in the hopes of getting a penalty rather than trying to score with his skill.
Even when he resorted to diving or "acting", he wasn't very good at that too. Jim Calder, a 30-year veteran as far as teaching acting goes, noted that Neymar was like an acting rookie, overselling everything. While, he wasn't always faking, most notably in the match against Mexico, he was pretty much faking most of the time and left a bad taste in Brazilian fans' mouths and became a laughing stock of the World Cup.
