Why was Neymar not included? Let’s start with the obvious, which is ahead of who? All the players on the list are worthy candidates to win FIFA’s player of the year award, the achievements of which trump Neymar’s. All the players on the 10-man shortlist (other than Ronaldo, Messi and Salah) reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup, something Neymar’s Brazil failed to accomplish.
His World Cup performances were eye-catching for all the wrong reasons, as he was lamented by fans for his play-acting throughout the tournament. He was the player most fouls were committed against, but he was also the player who spent the most time on the ground in Russia.
He won the French league title with PSG, yet there is no player out of the ten who didn’t win at least one domestic or European trophy as well. Yes, he won French Ligue 1’s Player of the Year award, but he also missed a big part of the campaign after suffering a metatarsal injury back in February. Everyone else on the FIFA Best Men’s Player 10-man shortlist played full seasons. If that injury hadn’t occurred, he probably would’ve had enough credentials to be among the top 10.
What’s next for Neymar?
This snub puts Neymar’s character to the test once again. He can either rebound by using it as motivation to change and prove everybody wrong, or he could escape the world which doesn’t love him and complain about how unjustified the decision to leave him off the list was. It’s up to him to flip the switch in people’s minds.
Everything’s in place for him to succeed in France. As long as he spends less time rolling on the floor and more time goal scoring, he should be on this list next year.
