Six Appeal

The world’s most expensive player is hoping to lead Brazil to a record sixth World Cup

A World Cup without Brazil’s biggest star, Neymar Da Silva Santos Junior, is unthinkable. However, the world’s most expensive footballer faces a race against time to be fit in for Brazil’s first game, against Switzerland in Rostov on June 17, after he injured his foot playing for Paris Saint-Germain against Marseille in February. 

Without Neymar, PSG crashed out of the Champions League to Real Madrid, outplayed by Cristiano Ronaldo and co. 

Without Neymar, Brazil are also a different team. Four years ago the Selecao were humiliated in the World Cup semi-final in front of a home crowd in Belo Horizonte, thrashed 7-1 by eventual champions Germany. Neymar, of course, did not play in that fateful game as he had been injured in the quarter-final against Colombia. After being kneed in the back by Colombia’s Juan Zuniga he left the pitch on a stretcher having broken a bone in his spine. 

Since then, Neymar has experienced extreme highs and lows with the national side. He was sent off as Brazil crashed out of the 2015 Copa America, but a year later he led his country to Olympic glory in Rio, scoring the winning penalty in the Final shoot-out against Germany as Brazil won their first Olympic title. 

“The Olympic gold in Rio was the most important win in my career,“ he said.