Brazil seeks Neymar to stand after 13 minutes, 50 seconds on the pitch

The appellant was Neymar Santos Snr, father, agent, public relations man and general architect, for the better or for worse, of his son's career. Neymar Snr was eager to explain why it would be best for his son to have the operation on his toe, which he finally did, going through the rehabilitation to miss the lost campaign of the Champions League of Paris St-Germain, but recover in time to be part of Russia 2018.

At the time, he launched a monologue on the injury of his son, dismissing the hope PSG to be able to recover without surgery and declaring that it would be back in late April – although Neymar never played

Then Neymar Snr put the phone down and it was only with a lot of cajolery that they managed to put him back on the line for a conversation that made headlines around the world

Neymar's camp, and especially his father, are notoriously sensitive to criticism and it would be fair to say that during this World Cup final, there were many.

Neymar is the tournament's most famous footballer, but it was sometimes hard to tell in Russia – less jogo bonito, more like a high-level politician parachuted into hostile territory to help fight a grueling but crucial settlement.

Criticism focused on the 13 minutes and 50 seconds of Neymar's four matches in Russia 2018 which, according to a study by Swiss channel RTS, was spent by him prostrate on turf.

It's all about grinning, complaining or occasionally rolling at the approximate rate of a medium-temperature tumble dryer.

The match of the eighth final against Mexico represented 5min 29sec of the total alone.

He also scored twice, adding to his mountainous international statistics 57 goals in 89 caps, although these numbers do not tell the whole story.

Neymar is going today in the quarterfinals against Belgium to Kazan player injured in the tournament – 23 have suffered more than four games. Neymar also had the most attempts on goal (23), compared to nine for Harry Kane for a six-goal return in one game less.

He lost the ball more than any of his peers (37) and he dribbled 16 times in the area, more than Eden Hazard (nine), Lionel Messi (seven), Cristiano Ronaldo (six), Luis Suarez (five) and Kylian Mbappe (three)

The figures suggest that Neymar considers the possession of Brazil as something that he must primarily squander or exploit, although it is far from # 39, be a team to a man.

Brazil has not looked so solid defensively in recent years as they do now, having conceded just once every tournament, against Serbia.

They have so far faced injuries to Dani Alves before the tournament, to Danilo and Douglas Costa since then and a center forward, Gabriel Jesus, who has not scored in four games.

Nevertheless, Neymar promises to fulfill a key component of the Brazilian tradition, that is to say the individual supremacy of a single actor, a category over which they have not dominated during most of the decade.

Recalling, in the twilight of Messi-Ronaldo's supremacy, that there has historically been no country that has been so consistent in producing a man capable of leaving another one in the process to look blankly at the space where the ball was. Despite everything, the histrionics caused a division over Neymar in Brazil, where they have never seen such an egocentric player in their national team.

It may well be that Neymar's talent is impossible to ignore in Russia 2018, but in the meantime, it's hard to remember a Brazilian star that makes it so openly flattering. Brazilian head coach Tite, who tirelessly defended the behavior of his star player, posed the embarrassing question of his 2012 footage after a match between his team of Santos and Corinthians, starring Neymar, 20 years.

"Pretending and trying to enjoy is not part of the game," says Tite. "It's a bad example for any child."

Not even a novelty at the price of the Chocolate Gold Ball to guess who Tite was talking about. Now, Titus likes to point out that Neymar is more angry than any player, and others point out that he lived with the pressure of being the child prince of Brazilian football when he was 16 years old.

He was already a celebrity as a novice professional, learning to survive in a sometimes brutal domestic league.

Even Pelé was used to driving with one elbow when the situation required it, but Neymar found another path.

Rolling and crying, all of this seems like a way to deal with the pressure of delivery. Brazil.

True, in 2014 it was hard to imagine Brazil without Neymar, and then when they were without him, it was hard to recognize Brazil.

This time, they seem better able to cope and, strangely, it seems to find it more difficult. (© Daily Telegraph, London)

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