Heading into the World Cup, many people viewed Brazil as the favourites. It was not difficult to see why, with their squad being perhaps the deepest we will see at the tournament.
Despite the obvious talent at their disposal, there is still a huge amount riding on Neymar. He shoulders much of the pressure put on the team back in his home country, with many believing he has the talent to carry them to glory in Qatar.
While there is no doubting his ability, there does remain some questions about his mentality to perform on this stage. He was not at his best in both 2014 and 2018, with Brazil falling well short on both occasions.
Didi Hamann hammers Neymar for Serbia antics
The PSG man started their World Cup opener against Serbia this evening, and while he was heavily involved in the opening 45 minutes, his performance left a lot to be desired.
It featured plenty of flicks and tricks, a bit of diving, and not a whole lot of substance.
He certainly didn't impress Didi Hamann, who when speaking at halftime on RTÉ, hammered the Brazilian for his performance in the opening half.
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"Neymar... It's an insult to Messi and Ronaldo to name him in the same breath. This guy plays for himself." - Didi Hamann scathing of the Brazil star
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Neymar must have given the ball away six or seven times in the first half. We talk about him being the third best player or one of the best players in the world, I think it's an insult to Messi and Ronaldo to name him in the same breath.
He likes to showboat, he likes to nutmeg people. If you watch Spain the other day, everything that's done is done in the best interest of the team. This guy plays for himself...
If I watch Brazil play, and they've got so much quality, you've got one guy who thinks he's above and better than the rest. Obviously it is detrimental to the team.
We had a conversation about Ronaldo, he is 37 now and not the player he was. This guy should be in his prime, he's 30. If he ever wins a World Cup it is probably this one, but judging on that first half I'm not sure what's going on in his head.
He is more worried to look good himself than for the team.
Brazil would go on to win the game in the second half, with a brace from Richarlison leading them to a 2-0 victory.
As for Neymar, his level of performance didn't really improve. While it mattered little in this game, they will need more from him moving forward if they are to harbour hopes of lifting the trophy in Qatar next month.
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