Which player is better? Who has more goals, more major honours and more Golden Shoes? There’s no one definitive answer to this question, but it’s important to acknowledge that Neymar has had a phenomenal season, surpassing his older rival Cristiano’s tally of 114. Here are some statistics to help you decide. Although Neymar has been sensational in his own right, he still hasn’t quite reached the same stats as CR7.
Neymar has more major honours
Neymar is a Brazilian football star who made his professional debut with Santos at the age of 17. In just three years, he helped the team win two consecutive Campeonato Paulista titles and a Copa Libertadores, the first for Santos since 1963. He has also been voted South American Footballer of the Year twice, and has won the World Cup and Olympic gold. After leaving Santos in 2011, Neymar moved to Barcelona where he won a continental treble and a domestic double.
While Cristiano Ronaldo has a more impressive international record, his record is still far from complete. Neymar has 76 caps for Brazil and 70 goals for Selecao, while Ronaldo has scored 411 goals for his country. Neymar has scored just three goals in European club football in the same time as Ronaldo. However, Neymar’s 195 goals in Europe since 2013 pale in comparison to Ronaldo’s 411 goals in three spells.
In addition to his achievements in football, Neymar also has a strong religious background. He regularly donates 10 per cent of his earnings to the church. Furthermore, Neymar’s recent injury has caused him to miss at least four weeks of action. He is still expected to make his return to international action in June 2021 against Venezuela. He has a long way to go to catch Cristiano in the Champions League.
He has more goals
Brazilian football legend Pele has a lot of history with Brazil, but there’s no doubt that Neymar has a lot more goals to his name than the former Real Madrid man. With 74 goals in 119 appearances for his country, Neymar is on pace to surpass the great Brazilian. Currently, Neymar is just seven goals behind Ronaldo for the Selecao’s all-time goalscoring record.
Ronaldo has the most number of goals in a single season, but Neymar has more goals in a season. He has been on the pitch more often than his rival and has scored more goals in the last few seasons than any other player in history. Neymar has been captain of Brazil since 2014 and is now the country’s most-capped player. However, there are some notable similarities between Neymar and Ronaldo.
While Ronaldo is the best player in the world, he doesn’t have as many skills as Neymar. Both have excellent passing and shooting ability. But the Brazilian has a unique ability to get past three or four defenders and score a spectacular goal. Furthermore, he is a strong playmaker and has the strength to go past three or four players to score a goal. In comparison, Ronaldo has more assists and goals, but Neymar has more shots on goal.
He has more Ballon d’Or trophies
Despite his incredible success, Neymar has never made it to the top three Ballon d’Or voting. A decade ago, many considered him a generational talent. While he may have fallen short of expectations, he has won numerous major honours. If there were a Ballon d’Or trophy for the biggest baller, he’d already have more than ten.
While Neymar’s tally was high during his first season at PSG, his form has slipped a little. He has not played as much as he once did, and injuries have affected his performance. He hasn’t made more than twenty league appearances in a season in four years at PSG. Karim Benzema, meanwhile, has kept Real Madrid in the race for the Ballon d’Or. He scored 30 goals in 46 games last season, and has already scored ten goals in ten matches this season. He’s also a former France international, who returned to the team’s squad this summer. He scored four goals during the Euros, and didn’t receive much criticism for his performance.
If Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are able to win the Ballon d’Or, then Neymar is the next man to go. His first two years at Barcelona saw him struggle with the shadow of Messi, but he’s been superb ever since. While he doesn’t yet have a Ballon d’Or, he’s the third highest-voted player in the world. Neymar has also been nominated for the Ballon d’Or in every year since 2011.
He has more Golden Shoes
The 2014 World Cup is over and the question is: Who has more Golden Shoes? Two Brazilian footballers, Neymar and Lionel Messi, share the title as the top goal scorer. Both have claimed the award more than once, though Messi has more Golden Shoes. Before the 32-team era, only Ronaldo had won it more than once. And both have scored more than 50 goals. However, one player stands out for his consistency – Neymar scored a record number of goals last season.
It is not clear if Neymar will win the Golden Boot again this year. His three consecutive Golden Shoes – in 2012, 2013 and 2014 – suggest that he is the better player. His two teammates, however, have been excellent, and both have been in the running for many years. So how can Neymar claim the title again? There are two key factors to take into account. The first is the amount of minutes a player plays per goal.
Another is the value of goals. The Golden Boot is awarded to the player with the most goals in a single season in the Premier League. In 2015, Neymar scored his 300th career goal, which led to the club claiming La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League. However, in the Euro 2020 competition, Neymar was left behind by Haland, who scored 10 goals in the tournament.
He played for Real Madrid during the “Galactico” era
The defection of Luis Figo to Real Madrid isn’t comparable to the departure of Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain. Former Barcelona president Joan Gaspart dubbed the Brazilian a “coward” for defecting to the Bernabeu, and Madrid paid Figo’s EUR62m release clause to get him. The move sparked the Clasico rivalry and broke the club transfer record.
During the “Galactico” era, Real Madrid had many stars, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and Raul. In fact, Luis Figo brought back the La Liga title to Real Madrid in his first season, in 2002/03. He later went on to play for Internazionale for the remainder of his career.
Cristiano Ronaldo remained the club’s all-time top scorer, winning three Ballon d’Or awards. On Wednesday, Cristiano scored his first goal in almost two months, and broke into tears after the match. Cristiano Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane made history at the Santiago Bernabeu. If Neymar had been at the club during the “Galactico” era, he’d be the next ‘Galactico’.
Although Neymar has struggled with fitness issues at Parc des Princes, his goals have been impressive. He has scored 91 goals in 132 appearances for the French club. Despite his controversies, the Brazilian is still one of the best players in the world. While he may be 30 years old, he can still elevate his career to a legendary status with Real Madrid. Real Madrid would do anything to get Cristiano back.
He has more goals in 2013 Confederations Cup
It was a stunning tournament for Brazil, who won the FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil. Their performance against the European and world champions Spain was superb. But the star of the tournament was Neymar, who had only signed with Barcelona a few weeks earlier. He ended up with the adidas Golden Ball and an incredible number of goals, including one with his weaker left foot. Here’s a closer look at Neymar’s impressive tournament.
A number of Brazilian football fans have compared Neymar’s 2013 Confederations Cup goals to the number of goals he scored during the same period last year. His ten goals in this tournament have exceeded Messi’s total from the entire World Cup. Neymar has twice won the Golden Ball, which is awarded to the best player at each FIFA World Cup final. And it isn’t just his goal scoring ability that has helped him win the Ballon d’Or.
The difference between Neymar’s goal total and Messi’s goal totals is striking. Neymar’s goal total at the 2013 Confederations Cup is three goals higher than Messi’s. Ronaldo has six hundred goals for his club, while Neymar has 39 for his country. Neymar scored his 100th professional goal on his 20th birthday, and his career-high of 43 goals per game is just a fraction of his total.
