Neymar improves

Two summers ago, Barcelona announced that they have signed the Brazillian giant Neymar, bringing the unthinkable pairing with Lionel Messi.

But during the first Neymar season at Camp Nou, he didn’t match the expectations surrounding him for the last years and he was unable to find the rhythm.

But now in his second year it's very different, he is the player that everybody expected, so, what has changed?

First is the different kind of football played in Europe and South America, and he needed time to learn Barça’s system. The Brazilian struggled with a new football culture and identity.

Also he arrived in a club where he wasn’t the undisputed leader of the team, Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta are well known and are the faces of Barcelona. For someone that is used to be the center of the team, this is very difficult to undergo.

Despite all of the above, from time to time some football talent shine through the fog. He ended the season with ning goals and eight assists in La Liga and four goals in the Champions League, good stats of a footballer, but far from what Neymar could do.

But everything has changed this season. The 22-year-old has scored 13 goals in the first 17 La Liga fixtures, not even halfway the season.

Now he understands how European Football works and also how to play with a team like Barcelona, and not only that, he also understands his position inside the team.

Neymar is no longer just one more player into the team, he is now a player that can lead and make an impact. He probably is not yet a face of Barcelona, this still belongs to Messi and will last long, but he is one of the leaders and most likely will continue his improvement as a footballer with an unlimited potential.

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