From our special correspondent in Lisbon,
Far from us the idea of wanting to blaspheme, but when we think back to Neymar's bandana “100% Jesus” at the Olympic Games in Rio, we wonder if he was referring to his faith or his own ability to walk on water. . An aptitude which he regularly demonstrates when he gives himself the means, like last Wednesday in Lisbon to destroy Atalanta and overcome all the collective deficiencies of his midfielder. 16 successful dribbles out of 22 attempted, 70% success, a Champions League record. A masterclass, as it is customary to say, to establish its status as king of dribbling. As Karim Benzema would say: “Top 5 best dribblers in the world? Neymar. I will stop at Neymar. "
"Your top 5 best dribblers?"
Benzema: "Neymar, I stop at Neymar." pic.twitter.com/Lo9D2BeYvb
"He's a magician, dude!" "
It all looks like a big banging of open doors, but it's important to remember that at his level and in his style, Neymar has no equal. We will allow ourselves to ignore the statistic which wants Sofiane Boufal to be the best European dribbler in 2020 ahead of Neymar according to a count by L'Equipe (11.5 against 10.9), especially since it is here of attempted and unsuccessful dribbling.
In the caste of whimsical players, we do not hesitate either. The best in this art is Neymar (t). Nicolas Lansalot, director dribbling aired this year on RMC Sport: "This is a reference to the current time on the circuit. Of the players and former players we have spoken to, it is true that Neymar is quite often and sometimes spontaneously cited as being the best dribbler. “An observation shared by Jérôme Rothen, who is currently commenting on Final 8 on the channel.
“Frankly when I see Neymar on the field I say to myself 'but shit, we did not do the same sport'. Again, one on one, you can mystify your opponents, ok. But when you start to dribble two or even three guys who come on you, because against Atalanta that's what was happening. Sometimes there were three of them on him and he managed to get by. Can you imagine what it takes to eliminate three players in a small area? You have to go fast, combine technique, talent, vista, vision. Because there is the vision, it is especially that. When you're in the field, things go much faster than on TV. And you don't have the same vision, it's much narrower. So imagine all these faculties put together in one player. What do you want me to say ? He's a magician dude. "
Unlike a player like Lionel Messi, who only uses it "only" to advance towards the goal - it's not bad - Neymar uses dribbling for several purposes. Move forward, express his technical leadership and even take revenge for the cleats he eats throughout matches. Lansalot: “What we wanted to address in the doc is the insolence of the dribble. There has been a lot of controversy around his supposed provocations. There have always been two schools that clashed over the Neymar case. Those who say he almost always dribbles at the expense of the simplicity of the game, and his supporters. No dribbler says he disrespects the opponent. Dribblers are quite ecstatic about his ability to put on a show and respond to provocation with the show. "
Dribble = yellow card?
The referees are a little less fond of it in our regions, and to bounce back on the subject of the controversy, it is difficult not to speak of this famous PSG-Montpellier where the Ney had the straps up for excess dribbling. Absurd. "You can blame him for having unnecessary dribbling, wanting to add more and wanting to humiliate the opponent," Rothen told us. But I don't think that's his intention. Him, he just wants to have fun. "
The former Champions League finalist in Monaco is right. People who have been around him from near or far will tell you, Neymar is always looking to have fun on a field. “Neymar needs to have fun to be 100%,” said Dhonatan, a former teammate at the Santos training center, the year he was signed in Paris. The pieces of the puzzle fit together. Rothen, again: “PSG can only win the Champions League with a Neymar at this level. “With a happy Neymar, then. And a Neymar who dribbles. Necessarily.
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