On Monday evening, striker Neymar (right) gave Brazilians a scare when he stopped and held his foot after a struggle for the ball at the team’s training ground in Teresopolis, 90 km from downtown Rio de Janeiro. He, however, quickly resumed training. (AFP)


DPA/Teresopolis, Brazil


Brazilian superstar Neymar has a lot to carry on his relatively small shoulders: the hopes of an entire nation and the estimated 100 million euros (136 million dollars) he cost Barcelona.
Neymar da Silva Santos Junior, or Neymar as he is simply known, is the man all hopes rest on for Brazil to lift its sixth World Cup and first on home soil.
The 22-year-old loves the big occasion, the show, the tricks, but most of all the ball. All this could help him overcome the danger of failing to live up to expectations in the tournament.
He doesn’t feel the pressure, “only pride and joy”, he has said repeatedly in the run-up to the competition. At the same time he feels a bit “tense and nervous at what is coming up.”
The new football icon is already the hero of his age: more than 10 million followers on Twitter, his own comic series, lucrative sponsorship deals. He’s also good material for newspaper and internet gossip columns.
He’s been in the headlines over his relationship with Brazilian telenovela actress Bruna Marquezine. There’s also a mystery over who is the mother of his nearly two-year-old son David Lucca.
But first and foremost he is a gifted footballer, learning from childhood when he arranged the furniture in the family living room to practice his dribbling.
He rose to fame with Pele’s old club Santos and was voted Brazil’s Player of the Year in 2011 and 2012. He’s scored 31 goals in 49 nation team appearances.
Beckoning is now the first major title for Neymar, who exudes as much self-confidence as his Portuguese counterpart Cristiano Ronaldo, but manages to appear more relaxed and easy-going.
“Neymar is footballer who plays a differently every time. He can improvise well, he’s fast and has plenty of agility. He also surprises his coach with new moves,” said Brazilian manager Luiz Felipe Scolari.
He’s a footballer who plays by instinct. In Barcelona he’s still in shadow of Lionel Messi, a player Neymar considers the greatest.
In the national squad he’s valued and respected by his teammates.  Dani Alves and Fred say he’s the player that makes the difference to the squad.
He matured during the Confederations Cup last year, according to Brazilian sports commentator Juca Kfouri: “He scored some great goals and led the team by taking the initiative when it was necessary.”
During training Monday evening, Neymar stopped and held his foot after a struggle for the ball.
Almost immediately news he was injured flashed around the world on the internet, although Neymar was quickly back on his feet and carried on as though nothing had happened.
Reality and the virtual world sometimes appear to merge when it concerns the player with the number 10 on his jersey.
This was the case with the spectacular transfer fee that Barcelona paid for him. Initially it was said to be 57.1 million euros, then it went up to 86.2 million, and finally to around 100 million, not including the 10 million a year Barcelona pays him.