Player Focus: Neymar Now Rightly Considered Among Football's Elite

El Clásico. Arguably football’s biggest match returns for its latest installment this weekend as the top two in La Liga - Barcelona and Real Madrid - do battle once more. With this clash of the titans going down at the Bernabeu, it’s Los Blancos who hold home advantage, though that will not dissuade Barcelona from pushing for victory. There has not been a clean sheet in the last 18 Clásico’s, meaning goals are the order of the day for both teams. 

The two sides are welcoming key players back from injury at just the right time, with James Rodriguez recently returning to action following his recovery from a thigh problem. Barcelona boss Luis Enrique, meanwhile, is likely to be able to call on Lionel Messi after the Argentine returned to training following a knee injury in time to feature against Madrid. However, one player on top of his game who is expected to trouble the capital side is Brazil and Barcelona star Neymar. 

He, along with Luis Suarez, has shouldered the attacking burden with aplomb in the wake of Messi’s absence. Of the last 24 competitive goals the Blaugrana have scored, 21 have been netted by either Neymar (11) or Suarez (10), the latest of which the former scored with an audacious lob and finish past Alphonse Areola in a comprehensive 3-0 win over Villarreal. With Messi sidelined, Neymar has grasped the opportunity to continue to establish himself as one of football’s best. His WhoScored rating (8.63) is his highest in the league for Barcelona and currently the best in Europe’s top 5 leagues. There isn’t a player in better form coming into one of the game’s most hotly contested fixtures. 

This is certainly bad news for Madrid, who in the past have struggled to limit the influence of the Barcelona ace. Two goals and one assist in his four league meetings with the capital-based outfit suggests Neymar is one who rises to the big occasion having netted at the Bernabeu last season. The offensive responsibility thrust upon him by Enrique is evident and it’s vital that, if Madrid are to avoid defeat to Barcelona, they keep a close eye on the 24-year-old superstar. 

With Messi dropping deeper to receive possession, Enrique required Suarez and Neymar to adopt more advanced positions to move laterally across the final third, a duty Neymar has adopted with consummate ease. His average of 4.6 shots per game is behind only Cristiano Ronaldo (7.1) and Messi (5.3) in La Liga this season, though the Brazilian has fared better than the duo in front of goal, netting more league goals (11) than any other player in Spain’s top tier this term, as many as Ronaldo (8) and Messi (3) have combined. 

However, a true indicator of his importance to the current Barcelona setup is highlighted in that he is averaging 85.4 touches league game. The side are now looking to him to carry the team forward in the final third, particularly with that figure rising each year in Spain, from 58.5 in 2013/14 and 69.6 in 2014/15. What this further accentuates is Neymar’s insistence on cutting in from the left flank to be more involved in the build up, highlighting the attacking responsibility he now carries for the good of the team. 

As such, Neymar is averaging his most key passes (3.7) and successful dribbles per game (4.3) in a single La Liga campaign since his arrival at Camp Nou in 2013. As his performances alone show, he’s clearly rising to the expectations of his teammates and peers, who, with Messi sidelined, looked to Neymar to fire the team forward. Yet, it isn’t just his goals that have guided Barcelona back to the summit of La Liga. Only a handful of players have provided more assists in Spain’s top tier this term than Neymar (3). 

Pertinently, though, is that his three assists have been for Suarez to score - no assist to goalscorer combination has been more profitable in La Liga this season. The selflessness in his play to provide for his Uruguayan teammate has helped him emerge as a genuine contender for this year’s Ballon d’Or award as the young forward continues to go from strength-to-strength.  

There were genuine concerns over Neymar’s adaptability to the rigours of Spanish football following his big money arrival in 2013, yet a bright start to life in Barcelona in his debut season provided the necessary springboard for further success. Suarez’s arrival last summer further strengthened the club’s already stunning attack and this, in turn, benefitted Neymar. The Uruguay international’s constant movement off the ball opened up space for the Brazilian to exploit and he has done so to an extremely high standard. 

This season, though, he has taken his game to a whole new level and can rightly be considered among the best in football at present. Saturday’s Clásico indeed presents Neymar with the perfect opportunity to consolidate his place in the world-class bracket of footballers.

Would Neymar be a worthy winner of the 2015 Ballon d'Or award? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below