Neymar revels in the homecoming

SAO PAULO: The human marionette, Neymar, has set the World Cup alight as only he could have. Not just aided by an over-zealous Japanese referee who yanked the game away from the Croatians and handed it to the home side, but more with his glorious timing and sense of occasion that grand heroes make their entry with.


With his two goals and an emphatic display of all-round intent and drive, Neymar has embraced the hopes of an entire nation. Suddenly, the hesitancy of a nation weary of the World Cup with all its baggage and ghosts vanished in an instant, making everything lighter and free from shackles. It came with his dash, hunger and balance.

Each time the 22-year-old scored, fireworks went off, not in the stadium but in the suburbs of the neighbouring Itaquera area.

The connection was mutual and surreal. Suffice to say, Neymar carried his team against Croatia on Thursday - with a little help from his friends and Oscar - but at the end of regulation time, he was carrying an entire nation on his slender shoulders. Thiago Silva may be Luiz Felipe Scolari's appointed captain but Neymar has carried out a bloodless coup, becoming the Selecao's leader, driver and enforcer all rolled into one.

What a difference a homecoming can make. Gone was the tentative, uncertain Neymar of the season past who flitted in and out of the Barcelona line-up, quietly resigned to playing second fiddle to Leo Messi, sometimes even to Alexis Sanchez and Pedro.

Today, he is being anointed Brazil's Moses. No one was itching more to get going. No one more fidgety as the teams lined up before kick-off. For a second, the close up camera lingered on his face and the mannish-boy turned away, averting his eyes and hiding his face with a swipe of his hand.

What went unnoticed in the din of Brazil's opening win was that this was Neymar's World Cup debut game. He has already scored more goals in his first World Cup match than Lionel Messi has done in eight games. In his third World Cup here, England's Wayne Rooney is still looking for his first goal.

Alex Bellos, author of Futebol: The Brazilian Way of Life, was quick to point out the significance of Neymar's heroics in the opening win. "When was the last time a Brazilian player scored two in the opening game of a World Cup? 1950," tweeted Bellos in the raucous aftermath of Brazil's win.

He dared to use the '1950' word - at any given time it is a taboo subject in this land. In the current context, it is sacrilege. When Brazil last hosted a World Cup in 1950, they were upset in the Rio de Janeiro final by tiny Uruguay in what has come to be known as the Maracanazo.

It still continues to haunt the Brazilians, but the confident ease with which Neymar has slipped into the role of the ghost-buster makes everyone believe that a new dawn may finally be around the corner - even if 64 years too late.