It takes more than talent to be a leader. Talent doesn’t make you responsible, diligent, or reliable. Talent can’t make you say what needs to be said in order to get something done. Talent is incredibly important, but it is only part of what matters when it comes to be a leader, and this is just as true in soccer as it is in any other vocation in the world.
The top goal scorers on every team are not simply handed captain’s arm bands, and by the same virtue, captains don’t lose them after a bad game. A leader on the pitch needs to be able to deal with the pressure of maintaining a consistent output and a steady head; they must be respected by their teammates, and wield their influence in an effective manner. Responsibility falls on captains to do what needs to be done in order to overcome adversity when it arises, and sometimes that means doing something else besides scoring.
All of this leads to an incredible amount of pressure falling on whomever ends up being named team captain. The ability to deal with that pressure is often what separates leaders from followers, captains from players.
As the captain of the Brazilian National Team, Neymar is arguably under more pressure than any other national team captain in the world. Expectations for success don’t get any higher than they do for Brazil, and Neymar is the sole transcendent attacking talent on a team expected to not only win, but to win beautifully.
Neymar has risen to the challenge, for the most part. He made a disgrace of himself at this summer’s Copa America, but looking past that, he has been absolutely sensational nearly every time he suits up for the national team. He has scored 43 goals in 63 appearances, and at the age of 23, he is on pace to be Brazil’s top scorer of all time. His scoring has led Brazil to success: he led the team to a 2013 Confederations Cup win, a win in which Brazil won all of its group matches and dominated Spain 3-0 in the final.
In an interview with SporTV, Neymar explained how he has been able to perform under such extreme pressure, and be the leader that Brazil needs.
"I try to see [pressure] as my friend, I align with it to calm me down. I know that it is a huge responsibility to be the captain, the No. 10, but I like it, I like the responsibility, the pressure and I like playing football."
There are not many people that can do what Neymar is describing: accepting — no, befriending what would tear so many other people down. Pressure can be one of the most exhausting things in the world; it can make you want to yell in frustration, curl up into a ball of despair, or resent everyone that relies on you. Yet, here is Neymar, aligning himself with it. He overcomes it with acceptance, so that he is not full of frustration, despair, or resentment. It is what makes him, at 23, a leader of men on the pitch.
The power of acceptance is real.
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