Worth the HYPE?

I had a heated argument with some friends recently about the a certain Brazilian prodigy. This argument went on for hours. The argument was about Neymar and all the hype surrounding his career. At some point in the argument I just had to leave because I found it shocking that one could be named the next Pele because of a few Youtube clips. Now let me  state that I think Neymar is a good player capable of the spectacular but I just think that the hype he is receiving would eventually affect him negatively because he would try to live up to the hype and its not easy at all just ask Robinho.

 Robinho started with such hype and today he is hardly been talked about. Robinho still remains a very gifted player in my opinion but I don’t think he lived up to the hype.

The pressures of being regarded as the next Pele at such a young age has its effects on players. Is it better to just shun the lime light, pass under the radar and go on to shine in the world stage. There are a few players who were not heralded as superstars at the onset but later proved to be truly world class.

Pirlo

Inter Milan have been kicking themselves for years.

After signing Andrea Pirlo as a 19-year-old from Brescia in 1998, Inter didn’t see sufficient quality in him to make him a firm part of their first-team plans and loaned him out first to Reggina and then back to Brescia.

AC Milan then took a punt on Pirlo in 2001 and were subsequently rewarded with 10 years of excellence before a move to Juventus in 2011.   

Thierry Henry

In January 1999, and fresh from being a squad player in France’s World Cup success on home soil, a 21-year-old winger called Thierry Henry got his big move when he left Monaco and joined Juventus.

He lasted just 16 matches in Italy, and soon moved to England with Arsenal, where no one could have expected the impact he was going to make.

In eight years in North London, Henry smashed the club’s all-time goalscoring record as he ended on 228 strikes in helping the Gunners to two league titles and three FA Cups. He moved to Barcelona in 2007 and helped the club to the treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League.

Not bad for just a France ’98 squad player.

Drogba

Staggeringly, Didier Drogba didn’t sign his first professional contract until he was 21, and it wasn’t until his £3.3 million move to Olympique Marseille in 2003―when he was 25―that he was really seen on the world stage.

His one season there yielded 32 goals as OM reached the UEFA Cup final, and it proved enough to catch the eye of Chelsea, who made a £24 million move for him that summer.

His 157 goals for the club now see him sit fourth in their all-time goalscorers’ chart.

Bale

It is easy to forget now given his frequently electrifying displays for Tottenham, but for two years Gareth Bale was Spurs’ unlucky charm.

The Welshman―then just a promising left-back―went a Premier League record 24 games without being on the winning side following his transfer from Southampton as a 17-year-old in 2007.

The £7 million fee showed that plenty were aware of Bale’s potential, but no one saw this level of quality coming, and he has firmly established himself as one of the most exciting players around today.

Falcao

Astonishingly, Radamel Falcao was just 13 years old when he made his professional debut for Lanceros in Colombia’s second tier.

He scored his only goal for the club as a 14-year-old before a move to Argentina and River Plate in 2005, and despite injury problems he still managed 45 strikes in 105 appearances over four years.

A move to Europe beckoned, and he joined Porto in 2009, where he would go on to score an amazing 72 times in 85 games, including a record-breaking 18 as the Portuguese side won the Europa League in 2011.

Now Atletico Madrid’s record signing, perhaps another move awaits the 27-year-old in the summer?

Scholes

Paul Scholes was too young to play in the famed Manchester United youth team of 1992 which featured David Beckham, Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville, but he turned professional a year later and made his United debut in September 1994, shortly before he turned 20.

Two goals against Port Vale on that debut signalled out the local product as one to watch, and Scholes went on to gradually establish himself in Sir Alex Ferguson’s team―initially as a forward player before moving further back.

His glittering club career has only ever been played at United, and the softly spoken Scholes was already firmly established as an Old Trafford legend before he announced his retirement in May 2011, only to reverse the decision the following January.  

Iniesta

Midfielder Andres Iniesta made his Barcelona debut aged 18, but it wasn’t until two years later that he began to play a more regular role in the Barca side, and even then that was often in a bit-part capacity.

As Barca evolved towards the all-conquering behemoth they are today, Iniesta evolved with them, and today he is rightly regarded as one of the finest midfielders in the world and has struck up a remarkable relationship with one of his teammates…

Xavi

After being in and out of the side initially, it took an injury to Pep Guardiola for Xavi to firmly establish himself in the Barcelona team in the 1999/2000 season, during which he turned 20.

Years of sustained quality followed, and we have now reached the point where the 33-year-old is one of the most revered and most decorated players in world football.

Who saw that coming at the back end of the last century?

Well I hope Neymar lives up to the hype of being the next Pele but Am not optimistic 

Till next time stay true 2 soccer