The Future of the Five Time World Champions - Brazil

Brazil as a nation are known for, above all, it's football. From the beaches of Rio to the skyscrapers of Brasilia, football is seen as a matter of life and death and the success of their national team more then shows that fact. With five FIFA World Cups to their name, three in the space of four tournaments between 1958 and 1970 Brazil has staked their claim to being the best national team in the world! With two more titles following in 1994 and 2002 a second golden age for the Canariho (little canary) was born and unlike in the past, these stars came across to Europe and allowed us to truly understand how good the boys from Brazil where! With the likes of Cafu, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Rivaldo and many many more world class players joining Europe's elite club sides and making waves, this golden age of Brazilian football left a long lasting impact on the rest of the world. As this squad of players have slowly moved on to lives beyond football a new batch of youngsters have came from the shores of Brazil and made their mark in the biggest leagues in the world, spear headed by superstar Neymar. Other big names such as Coutinho, Thiago Silva, Oscar, Marcelo have continued the trend of exports from Brazil making a splash in Europe, however they have struggled to make the same impact and find the success on the international stage that their predecessors did before them. With a failed attempt to win the World Cup in their own backyard in 2014 and a quarter final exit from the 2015 Copa America the current Brazilian first team has struggled to set the world alight. But one thing the leagues of Brazil is never short of is potential, potential world beaters just waiting to show the rest of us how good they can be. With Brazil winning the gold medal at the 2016 Olympics, a tournament of an under 23 structure, the future looks bright and now is the time to focus on the next generation of talent coming from the most successful nation in football.

'The next Neymar'. That is what young striker Gabriel Barbosa was dubbed when he caught the public eye after breaking into the same Santos side as the Barcelona star at the ripe old age of 16, making his debut in Neymar's farewell to his boyhood club. After being part of the youth set up at Santos from the age of 8, and signing his first professional contract only a month after his 16th birthday with an incredible 50 million euro buyout clause attached, Barbosa has been tipped for greatness for a long time. He will forever go down in history of the Sao Paulo based club after scoring the clubs 12,000th goal, he finished his first full professional season at the club with a tally of 21 league goals which instantly saw the youngster handed a new five year deal as the strikers stock continued to grow. The following season saw Barbosa have to fight for his place as Brazilian international Robinho resigned for his former club, and although this reduced the number of first team opportunities Gabriel received, he continued to improve and after returning to a full time member of the first team he completed another very successful season, which included finishing as the top goalscorer in the Copa Do Brazil with 8 goals, which lead Santos to the final in a losing effort against Palmeiras. As the 2016 season started Gabriel was officially one of the top stars in the Brasileiro Seria A and with that status, the interest from Europe was inevitable and on the 27th August 2016 Barbosa signed a five year deal with Italian giants Inter Milan, the same European side where Ronaldo thrived from a young age, the deal was reportedly worth just south of 30 million euros. Since signing however Barbosa has only made one first team appearance as he tries to get a grip on the Italian style of football. But with the hype surrounding the striker from such a young age, and the attention on the youngster never wavering, Barbosa is 100% one to watch.

Scoring a brace in your International debut, now that's a way to make sure everybody watches out for you! Gabriel Jesus (Yes another Gabriel) has been regarded as one of the most promising young players on the planet since coming through the youth system at Brazilian side Palmeiras and has earned comparisons to 'el phenomenon' Ronaldo. Jesus signed his first development contact with the club at the age of 16 and featured for Palmeiras in the under 17s state championship but within 9 months, with 22 games played and an incredible 37 goals scored, the teenager was offered his first professional deal with the club. He finished the calendar year with 54 goals in 48 matches, making him the club's top goalscorer at any level, and the interest from abroad was already evident, with English side Arsenal reportedly monitoring the strikers development very closely. The striker from Sao Paulo was subject to a petition coming towards the end of the 2014 season. With Palmeiras struggling in the league and risking relegation, the fans where outraged that the young Brazilian wasn't getting a chance in the first team despite his major success in the youth system, and a petition was created to force the hand of the manager. Despite the fans best efforts Gabriel didn't get to make his first team debut until March 2015 and his first start came in April, just days before his 18th birthday, where his quick feet, speed and dribbling ability instantly attracted yet more attention from the world of football. His first professional goal for the club came in July, scoring the only goal in 1-0 Copa Do Brazil win against ASA, Jesus scored two more goals on route to Palmeiras winning the Copa Do Brazil, although he was forced off during the second leg of the final due to a shoulder injury. During his first full professional year Jesus has currently scored 21 league goals, and averaging a goal every other game in all competitions. He has also however earn his first red card of his career during the 2016 season, as he was involved in a fight with Damian Musto, Jesus apologised instantly after the game for the misconduct and it remains the only sending off of Jesus's career. Despite the red card the young striker continued to gather more and more momentum and the attention surrounding him grew until August 2016, when a pre contract was signed with Manchester City which totalled at 32 million euros which will see the youngster joining the English club in January 2017 once the Brazilian league season has finished.  After the deal was completed Jesus stared in the gold medal winning Brazilian side at the 2016 Rio Olympics, this was perhaps the first glimpse for most people of the future Manchester City player and he did not disappoint, scoring 3 goals on the road to Brazil's first ever football Olympic gold. Once Jesus officially becomes a Manchester City player all of Europe will find out what many people already know, that we have a future world beater on our hands! When Ronaldo officially agrees to mentor a young striker, you know we could be in for something special. Watch this space.


Unlike the previous two mentions, this Brazilian youngster is yet to agree a multi-million pound move to Europe, but that does not mean he hasn't been on the radar of the top clubs. Rodrigo Ciao has came through the ranks at Sao Paulo and from the very beginning he was tipped for greatest! First creating a buzz in 2012, Ciao was asked to play as a right back, despite playing the early stages of his career in the centre of defence. The reason for this was their opposition, Santos, and more notably, Neymar. His inexperience in this role didn't show and instead Rodrigo was able to hold off Neymar throughout the State Championship fixture and received rave reviews from the media for his performance. Noted by the people reporting on the match was Ciao's footwork, known in Brazil as movimento do escorpiao, it is a style used in indoor football to hold off attacking players, a style rarely seen in full size games. At the age of 19 Rodrigo Ciao was one of the first names on the team sheet at Sao Paulo playing at right back, but injuries lead to him returning to the centre of defence and much like he did before he impressed instantly with manager Paulo Autuori highlighting his quality of performances by promoting Ciao to become his sides number one central defender. Rodrigo continued to impress game in game out for the remainder of the year, and was beginning to force his way into the Brazilian national team picture where he played for both the U21 and U23 sides, once again impressing. Sadly for the Brazilian however, in August 2014 Ciao picked up an ACL injury, ruling him out of action for 7 months, returning in March 2015. A mere three months after returning to action Rodrigo was subject to a 16 million euro deal being agree between Sao Paulo and Spanish giants Valencia. Sadly for the returning defender, his knee injury caused him to fail two medicals and the deal fell through. In response to this his business relationship with 'super agent' Jorge Mendes was ended by the youngster due to frustration of the deal collapsing. Since his injury Ciao has continued to improve at Sao Paulo and due to club captain and legend Rogerio Ceni retiring in December 2015 it has been reported and seen that Ciao has taken on responsibility and now is the main voice and leader in the dressing room. A Brazilian centre back with the potential to be up there with the great defenders in the countries history, his horrible injury has prevented him from completing his move to Europe already, but don't be surprised if it happens very soon. This defender is mature beyond his years, incredibly versatile and just keeps getting better and better! A future Brazilian captain, mark my words.

Brazil has, is and will always produce top footballing talent! Whether they can translate that talent into success on the biggest stage is always another question, but the future of the five time world champions looks bright. The players mentioned are just a few of the men from the Liga Do Brazil that can take the European leagues by storm. Once again, watch this space.

Boca Juniors vs River Plate - The Superclásico

The South American's will always be synonymous with football, from Columbia to Argentina, the people of the continent eat, sleep and breathe the sport. With footballing greats such as Pele and Diego Maradona going down in history and current stars Lionel Messi and Neymar setting the world alight, South America has produced some of the worlds finest. Brazil vs Argentina is one of the oldest, and greatest rivalries in international football, with the first meeting of the giants taking place over one hundred years ago, in September 1914 in the Argentinian capital of Buenos Aires, with Argentina coming away with a 3-0 win. However within Buenos Aires, an even older and arguably greater match takes place. Making it's first appearance in 1913, the Superclásico is a football match which draws passion unlike any other. In 2004, The Observer ranked the derby between Boca Juniors and River Plate as number one in their list of '50 sporting things you must do before you die.' And was also quoted in saying that, 'Derby day in Buenos Aires makes the Old Firm game look like a primary school kick-about.' The people at the Guardian aren't alone with their valuation of the match, with FourFourTwo magazine considering it as the 'biggest sporting derby in the world' and also The Daily Telegraph refered to the Superclásico as the 'biggest club rivalry in world football.' The Superclásico doesn't get the attention is deserves, with the passion shown by each set of supporters as well as by the players privileged to take part, The Superclásico is simply a unique game of football and one which should achieve the same level of media attention as El Clasico in Spain.

After 362 meetings, 132 wins for Boca,116 for River and 115 draws, the match has become famous for an incredible intensity and atmosphere, one which no single game on the planet can equal. The foundations of the fixtures in the people of the Argentine capital, with Boca Juniors being seen as a club for the 'working class' whereas River Plate became known by the nickname 'Los Millionarios' with a fan base made up of supposedly upper class members of the city. With the fans being a major part of the rivalry right from it's beginnings, it is only right that in the current fixtures the fans also have a part to play. They really don't disappoint! A sea of colouful flowing banners, screams and roars, chanting, dancing and never ending fireworks. This is how the BBC described the fans interaction within The Superclásico, and it truly is a sight to behold. With chants being used as arsenal by both sets of fans, sang with intensity rarely seen on European soil, the stadiums hosting this historic fixture are known to bounce during the 90 minutes. Boca fans have labelled River 'las gallinas' (the chickens) for choking when it comes to the big game. River fans have subsequently labelled Boca 'los bosteros' (the pieces of sh*t). However a match which exudes such passion from the fans doesn't come without the ugly side of a derby. Both on and off the pitch, violence comes hand in hand with the The Superclásico, a factor of the derby which most would like forgotten, but will likely never subside.

Something pretty substantial must take place for a country to, quite simply, stop. And that is exactly what happens on the day of  River vs Boca, with an incredible 70% of Argentina supporting either River or Boca, a statistic which simply explains the enormity of derby day in Buenos Aires. The passion from the fans is easily translated onto the pitch and into the players, causing many incidents that have became infamous within the history of The Superclásico. Carlos Tevez, the former Manchester City and United man is never far from controversy. So when the life long Boca fan scored against River Plate, he took his chance to rub it in the nose of the opposing fans, by performing a chicken dance when celebrating his strike, infuriating the River supporters. Tevez was immediately awarded a red card for 'inciting violence between the fans' and in his post match interview the Argentinian admitted that the passion got the better of him. River aren't simply the victims of acts of stupidity from the players during The Superclásico. In 2011, Matias Almeyda was charged with assault and, like Tevez, inciting violence when he celebrated a win for River by kissing the club's badge in view of the furious Boca supports. These incidents will forever be a part of what makes this historic fixture great.

Sadly however tragedy has struck this fixture in the past, and in 1968, the tragedy of 'gate 12' struck a cord within the game that suddenly made the world loudest rivalry fall silent. Sunday 29th June 1968 was the 89th league meeting between the two biggest sides in Argentina, and as the clock ticked closer to a goalless draw which resulted in neither side being crowned champions the fans became increasingly anxious, Boca fans in particular. At full time the travelling fans made their way down to gate 12, which had been closed earlier in the day. Despite this the fans poured down the steep, narrow hallway which caused many fans to fall to the bottom. Unknowing to the fans who continued to make their way down, many supporters where crushed underneath the boots of their fellow fans which resulted in 71 deaths and another 150 injuries. The death count was already shocking, and then a later investigation showed the average age of the deaths was 19 years old and to this day, no one has been held accountable for this tragic event. Accounts of the event vary from person to person, starting with some suggesting Boca fans had thrown burning River Plate flags into a section of the home support which caused a stampede in the lower tiers. A separate account has stated that it was the River fans at fault, with a group of them entering the Boca Juniors section, creating violence and a rush to the exits by the fans which leads to the deaths. These accounts point the finger at the fans, with others stating that the closure of gate 12 by the stadium officials made exiting the over crowded stadium close to impossible. This tragedy has drawn contrasts to the Hillsborough disaster of 1989, and drew a similar media outcry for the truth, but to this day, the details of the event have never been confirmed.

The Superclásico. A fixture which never quite gets the attention it deserves. Truly unique, the passion and fire from the pitch to the stands during the 90 minutes is a sight to behold, and one I would push any true football fans to experience themselves if given the opportunity. August 23rd 1913, the first derby day in Buenos Aires, the debut of one of the greatest fixtures in club football, and one which will hopefully never meet its end.

Brazil - Whats next for the five time champions of the world?

Football may have been invented in England, but it was given a soul on the sunny shores of Brazil. The Brazilian people changed the way everyone on the planet looks at the beautiful game, and it developed into the most successful national side in the world. 1958, 1962,1970,1994 and 2002, these dates are the five times Canarinho 'the little canary' have been crowned world champions, more then any other side in history. From Pele to Ronaldo, from Zico to Ronaldinho, from Garincha to Rivaldo, from Carlos Alberto to Cafu, the five time world champions have always produced some of the very best the world of football can offer, which has lead to the unmatched success the Brazilians have had over the years. The team from 1970, lead by the genius Pele, is seen as perhaps the best football team in history, club or national side, considering the time period and how much the game has developed since those years, the fact the side is still seen in the same light today only begins to explain how far ahead of their time the national team was. The selecao is also the most successful national team in the FIFA confederations cup, with four titles, 1997, 2005, 2009 and 2013. They are also the holders of the current title. Brazil have won a total of 62 official international titles from professional to grassroots level, which is an unparalleled world record. 

However, since their last title in 2002, the worlds most successful side seems to have struggled on the world stage, which includes being humbled on their own turf by Germany in the 2014 World Cup semi-finals, losing 7-1, the biggest defeat in Brazil's history.
So the question is... what's next for the five time champions of the world? Will we see a Brazilian resurrection, or will the most successful side on the planet plummet into almost insignificance on the big stage.


Heading into last summers World Cup, the hosts Brazil where strong favorites to end their drought on home soil. And despite mainly average performances, they topped their group and overcame Chile in the second round on penalties. The home side then took on another fellow South American side in Columbia, a team many had backed to be the dark horses for the tournament, and with the eventual golden boot winner James Rodriguez, it was possible Columbia could surprise Brazil. However for the first time in the tournament we appeared to be seeing the side many backed to win a sixth world title, with goal from David Luiz and Thiago Silva, the hosts overcame Columbia. However this performance did not come without its prices. Thiago Silva earned a suspension, meaning Brazil would be without their captain for the semi-finals. And even worse, the star of the show, Neymar was stretchered off late on and would miss the rest of the tournament. These absences played a big part in the Brazilians collapse in the semi-final, without their captain or top scorer, they looked out of sync at the back and no threat in attack, eventually being turned over with an incredible 7-1 score line! The aftermath of the crushing at the hands of the eventual champions Germany shows that the five time champions rely far to heavily on a select group of players, and no longer have to depth of class like we're use to seeing come from the country. A loss of just two players had an evidently massive effect on the side, and the Brazilian players did not look capable of competing with the Germans. This correlation continued into the third place play off, still without top scorer Neymar, the hosts had no creativity and no threat, eventually falling out 3-0 losers, ending their tournament by conceding 10 goals in two games, and ending the competition with the worst defensive record out of all 32 nations that competed.

The famous Brazilian teams of old make this newest crop of players seem mediocre, and despite a few stand out stars, such as Neymar and Thiago Silva, it is getting much more evident that this side needs a drastic change if it is to return to where it should be, at the summit of world football.

However it isn't all doom and gloom for the natives of the most successful side in world football history.One player in particular looks set to become one of the most iconic players in Brazilian football history, and perhaps one of the best in the world. This is the man currently holding the famous Brazil number 10, their current highest goal scorer, and a player who has the chance to become the national sides all time leading goal scorer. he may just be 23, but he's been turning heads for years and he could be the player they need to help push the five time champions back to the very top. I'm talking of course about Barcelona striker Neymar! The Barcelona star has really showed the world what he can do, but he has been a prospect on the shores of Brazil for years! Between 2009 - 2013, while playing for Santos in the Liga do Brazil, Neymar scorer 54 goals in 103 games, averaging 0.52 goals a game, an incredible record for someone who started at the age of 16. Neymar also had brilliant success at youth level, especially for the national side. Working his way from the under 17's side to the first team in the space of a year! And his success internationally hasn't stopped in the first team, the current number 10 has scored 46 goals in 67 games which is 0.67 goals a game, another incredible record especially on the national stage. This record makes Neymar the fifth all time goal scorer in the countries history, and gives him the fourth best goal to game ratio, an incredible feat considering the Barcelona front man could have up to 10 years left representing the national side. Neymar is also currently setting the world alight for Barcelona, with 34 goals in 64 games, a amazing record considering he plays out wide, mainly providing for Lionel Messi. There is no doubt that Neymar is a world beater, a future Brazilian footballing legend, and the man to help save the national side.

For the last decade, the Brazilian national side have mainly been relying on the same group of players who, despite their class, have ages and became unable to perform at the level needed for the South American's to compete with the world's elite at the level they should be. However recently the new manager, former player Dunga, has started to integrate a handful of new players into the squad, players who have the potential to help grow the national side and possibly see the Brazilian squad get back to the  pool of exceptional talent we have became accustom to in the last 70 years. Liverpool midfielder Philipe Coutinho is a player who has really gained a lot of attention in the football world recently. With a combination of incredible goals, amazing assists, jaw dropping pieces of skill and an exceptional show of passion, the Liverpool number 10 has earned the majority of his 13 international caps in the last couple of seasons, and the increase in attention has even earned him a nomination for the European golden boy award (eventually won by Paul Pogba). Throughout his career, Coutinho has earned much acclaim from top figures in Brazilian football and has been spotlighted as a future world beater, and at the young age of 23 the Liverpool play maker looks set to represent his country for many years and perhaps help get Brazil back to the glory days in a big way!

One thing Brazil have always had is a ball playing defender, you can go as far back as world cup winning captain Carlos Alberto, scoring one of the best goals in world cup history in 1970 to show how Brazilian defenders play a big part in the sides offence! The most recent member of the squad to adapt this role is David Luiz, but although the PSG defender is loved in his homeland, to fans who aren't natives of Brazil can see he really doesn't fit the bill. One up and coming defender who could fill those shoes is another PSG man, Marquinhos. The former Roma centre back was the most expensive teenager in the world until this summer just gone, and it is easy to see why. He looks incredibly comfortable on the ball, and is able to put in a very strong challenge and fill certain old fashioned defender responsibilities. Marquinhos is a player with tons of potential, and former Brazil captain Thiago captain has taken him under his wing, saying he may be the national teams future captain. This young defender could go a long way to helping the current Brazil side get back to the top.

Recent history makes mostly grim reading for fans of Brazilian football. With their sides consistently struggling to compete with the worlds elite it looked like Brazil could be right in the middle of a baron period for the five time champions. But signs of improvement have started to show recently, Barcelona star Neymar is improving every day and is looking like a possible future Balon D'or is on the cards. The squad is finally getting an injection of life that its needed for years, with players such as Philipe Coutinho leading the new look national team. And the famous ball playing Brazilian centre back looks to have finally returned in younger Marquinhos. Now no one can tell for sure if we will see the same sort of side that Pele lead to immortality in the 1950's,60's and 70's ever again, but one thing we do know is the potential is certainly there. The five time world champions are on their way back to the top table of world football!

Battle for bronze - Who is the third best in the world?

Football is very much an opinion based sport. Who is the best manager? The best team? The best League? The best national side? These questions and many more in the world of football are up for debate, but one thing is without any doubt, and that is who are the two best players in the world. In the last seven years these two players have won a clean sweep of Ballon D'ors, Lionel Messi (4) and Cristiano Ronaldo (3), these men are by far the two outstanding players on the planet right now, and perhaps two of the greatest of all time. Every year, these two players split opinions on who is the best in the world, both breaking incredible amount of records, and both producing stats that in any other era would be seen as unheard of, yet these two men produce them on a yearly basis.

With Messi and Ronaldo being so far ahead of the rest of the field, the right to be called the third best player in the world has become shrouded in mystery, as no one man has made a claim for that title to be 100% theirs. That is the question I will try to answer today.

 There are many players who can stake a claim to be the third best in the world, players such as Gareth Bale, Eden Hazard, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, James Rodriguez and Andres Iniesta are all players who are right up there, however I will be focusing on the three players I believe are the top contenders for the third place crown. Luis Suarez, Neymar and Manuel Neuer. I will be looking at both team and individual success for these three world stars and try to decide who deserves to be standing next to Messi and Ronaldo at this year’s Ballon D'or ceremony.

 Lets start with the 2014 FIFA World Cup winner, Manuel Neuer. In the 2014 Ballon D'or (won by Cristiano Ronaldo) Neuer placed third, which officially makes him the third best player of 2014, but with those awards being nine months ago, you have to wonder if the Bayern Munich goalkeeper can still claim to be the world’s third best player. When voting for the Ballon D'or, the voters and judges take a few things into consideration, club & country success as well as personal performances. During 2014 Manuel Neuer was a big part of the Bayern Munich side which walked to the Bundesliga title, winning it in record time. His side also reached the Champions League semi-finals (falling out the Real Madrid, the eventual winners) and they finished runners up in the DFB - Pokal (German domestic cup), so on a club level the goalkeeper had a relatively high level of success. But the main contributing factors towards Neuer’s third place finish in the 2014 Ballon D'or was his international success. He was named in the team of the tournament in the 2014, and was also one of the stars of the show in Germany's winning campaign; he also won the golden glove for the tournament. During 2014, and in the couple of seasons before, Manual Neuer has been revolutionizing what it means to be a goalkeeper at the very highest level, playing very much a 'sweeper keeper' role. The unwritten rule over the years is that a goal keeper can never be the best player in the world, but after Neuer's 2014 he was very much within a shout of winning the Ballon D'or thanks to a combination of club & country success and the way he revolutionized his role.

 The next candidate I'm going to take a look at is Luis Suarez. The Uruguayan striker has massively improved his game in the last few years, leading to masses of individual success, and success at a club & international level. At the end of the 2015 Champions League, Suarez was placed second in the UEFA best player awards (losing to Lionel Messi), beating Cristiano Ronaldo who came in at third. Over the past few seasons individual awards have been plentiful for the Barcelona striker, in the 2013/2014 season, while at Liverpool, Suarez picked up the PFA Player of the year award, football writers player of the year award,  as well as finishing joint first in the UEFA Golden boot, with 31 goals. Suarez's Premier league tally of 31 is a joint record, and he did it without taking a single penalty all season, and missing a few games at the start of the season with suspension. But that brings me on to Suarez's weakness, his reputation. Over the years Luis Suarez has been involved in a lot of controversial situations many believe has hindered his individual success in the Ballon D'or, where despite his success in 2014, he wasn't even nominated for the title of the worlds best player. Suarez has been caught biting an opposition player three times, once while at Ajax which lead to an 8 game ban, once while at Liverpool which lead to a 10 game ban, and most controversially in the World Cup game between Italy and Uruguay, which lead to a ban from all domestic football until October, as well as a 9 game international ban. Originally Suarez was not able to attend training due to his ban, as well as being unable to attend charity events, clue projects; he also received a stadium ban, meaning... he wasn't even aloud to be in the club photo! While those extreme simulations where overturned, it remains one of the most extreme bans in football history. Not long after receiving the ban, Suarez was signed by Barcelona for a reported £75,000,000, although the number tends to vary. The season following his transfer saw Suarez play a key role in a historic treble for the Catalan giants Barcelona, and at the start of the 2015/16 season, he has already helped Barcelona secure the UEFA super cup title, taking his tally at Barcelona to four trophies in under a year! At an international level Suarez has also had levels of success, guiding Uruguay to the Copa America title in 2011, in which he won the player of the tournament.  Despite his controversial career, Suarez's levels of success individually and at a club & international level over the past few years, gives him a very strong case for the title of third best player in the world.

 And finally, the third world star I will be looking at today with a claim to the title of the world’s third best player is a player who many believe is one of the most gifted players of his generation, the Brazilian star Neymar. A player who has been hyped for greatness since a very early age, Neymar is very much in with a claim for the title of the worlds third best footballer. Now while Neymar is considerably younger then the two candidates I have looked at so far, he has used his time well and is one of the fastest growing stars in football. Neymar moved from Brazilian side Santos to Barcelona at the start of the 2013/2014 season, for a transfer fee that to this day is still debated, the fee released by Barcelona was 51,100,000 euros, however reports claim that the deal was in fact a world record transfer fee of 130,200,000 euros, however whether this will be proven is a completely different question. At a club level since Barcelona, Neymar has scored 54 goals in 92 games, a very impressive strike rate for a player who spends most of his time on the wings. Like the previous candidate Luis Suarez, Neymar played a very large part in Barcelona's largely successful 2014/2015 season, scoring in the Champions League final and the Copa Del Rey (Spanish domestic cup) final, proving that he has the quality to perform in the big games, a question commonly asked to young players at the biggest stage. As well as success at a club level, Neymar's international success is perhaps the reason he is seen as one of the world’s stars. At just the age of 23, Neymar has played 65 games for his country, scoring 44 goals, placing him fifth on the all-time record of Brazilian goal scorers. Neymar has provided goals for his country at every level, as has proven he can live up to the hype on the biggest stage of them all, the FIFA world cup. In the 2014 World Cup, Neymar won the bronze boot after finishing third top goal scorer with four goals, however Neymar was injured in the quarter final victory vs Columbia, meaning he was unable to complete the competition. Neymar collected four assists in the competition as well and was named in the team of the tournament. Neymar also lead Brazil to the 2013 Confederations Cup title, winning the golden ball as player of the tournament, and winning the bronze boot. Neymar's success at both club and international level shows he is without any shadow of doubt, a world star and at such a young age, he looks set to just get better and better!

 All three of these players have a very strong argument for being the third best in the world. Manuel Neuer's incredible 2014, and the way he has revolutionized the way we look at goalkeepers means it’s impossible to leave him out of this list. Luis Suarez's genius on the ball has lead his club and country to incredible amounts of success, as well as his goal scoring and all round play leading him to the most individual success on this least. And finally the Brazilian wonder kid Neymar, a player without a doubt who was born with a gift, his international record at such a young age is unheard of and he is almost certain to just keep getting better.

 After going over all of the arguments I personally believe that Luis Suarez has the biggest claim to the third best player in the world title, I believe his incredible success at every level over the last few seasons is just too hard to ignore.