Neymar, Cavani and Mbappe go from teammates to world drummers

As the world's most unbeatable World Cup in living memory comes closer to its climax on Friday with the first pair of quarterfinals, the vaunted attack The line that Qatar has gathered in the French capital will take center stage in Russia. Friday's showdowns see Uruguay facing France as a tantalizing appetizer before a main course of Brazil and Belgium, the most notable tie of the World Cup so far, in Kazan.

QSI has invested $ 715 million in transfer fees only over the past five years by building an offensive unit comprised of the Uruguayan hitman Cavani, the Brazilian icon Neymar and the French prodigy Kylian Mbappe.

As the 2018 World Cup moved from the group stage to the very good performance, the frontline named NCM (Neymar-Cavani-Mbappe) in Paris grabbed the tournament and took the lead. ; appropriated. Mbappe's intervention was undoubtedly the most dramatic since he only became the second teenager in history to score two goals in a World Cup knockout match, the other being peeled.

This was the kind of virtuoso demonstration that can signal the dawn of a new era. Given that he faced Argentina and thus served to mark the end of Lionel Messi's career in World Cup, he was immediately qualified as a hobby, passing the torch of the World Cup. a generational star at the other.

But Cavani and Neymar were not about to let the child catch all the congratulations. As a former statesman of the trio and the oldest of Paris, Cavani sometimes had to fight for oxygen amidst the panting chatter that surrounded new recruits this year. A few hours after the fireworks of Mbappe, he exploded in his own way with a pair of brilliant goals to send Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal and ensure a confrontation with Mbappe and France here in Nizhny Novgorod on Friday. Cavani may however miss the showdown here, while he's trying to get rid of a calf injury.

Neymar had to wait until 48 hours later to inspire Brazil to rank last. eight with a display that had so much of his best and far too much of his worst against Mexico in Samara. He seized the decisive opening of Brazil but then served yet another reminder of the infant histrionics when he was barely touched by Mexican defender Miguel Layun. Neymar spent four minutes healing for an injury that did not exist before returning to action and later establishing Brazil 's second place.

You would have given more than one euro to explore Cavani's thoughts and especially Mbappe on Neymar's mortifying antics. In their own way, both felt the effect of playing alongside a mesmeric talent with an evil god. Cavani, the 31-year-old record scorer at PSG, faced Neymar just weeks after his arrival as Barcelona's $ 337 million rookie demanded full control over penalties and free kicks.

Mbappe's frustrations were less obvious but after the electrifying campaign with Monaco that he began at 17, his move north of the capital for a final tax of $ 268 million in the summer last saw him spend the last 12 years. month in the role of the acolyte, at best.

But the 19-year-old is far too talented to be on the side of anything. He is a mega-talented main stage whose only weakness is to hide it. As he continued to leave jaws on the ground, Neymar would have become more and more jealous.

A dispatch in Spain's most widely read newspaper, El Pais, said in March that Neymar and fellow Brazilian Dani Alves had begun to avoid opportunities to switch to Mbappe for fear of rushing Neymar's fires [19659024] in Russia came partly as a result of escaping this stifling club environment. As effective as they were sometimes – the trio combined for 87 goals between them, with Neymar missing the last two months of the season through injury – the ends did not warrant the expense. Not yet at least. PSG won a new sweep of national titles but was expelled from Europe by Real Madrid.

Madrid spent the last 72 hours denying being ready to set world records for Neymar or Mbappe. is coming to an end. If they continue their heroism Friday, the announced price of $ 500 million each is likely to climb again.

The former World Cup winner, Real Madrid director and sports director Jorge Valdano said Thursday that Real should focus on a single target.

"I would prefer that they choose Mbappe because it would be a long-term investment because he's six years younger and he's already at the highest level," Valdano said. "He's going to define the next decade of football, he reminds me of Ronaldo Nazario, I think Mbappe is also a good person."

It does not take much reading to decipher the implications of this last line. The flaws and all, Neymar will have to hold his fire again Friday, waiting and looking to see what one or maybe his two Parisian partners are serving. So it will be his turn.