![[ESPNFC] Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Neymar Jr’s International Stats.](https://alien.top/pictrs/image/bf00c9e0-8bde-4828-8b67-c9b1eb3f2bb4.webp){kind=link}
Neymar now holds the record for most international assists after his assist against Venezuela.
Landon Donovan had 58, and there was a post on here last month that didn’t show anybody else who had more.
So what’s you’re saying is Donovan > Neymar Jr.?
According do joeDubstep Donovan is even better than Messi, lmao dude is delusional
Nah. The facts clearly say that Neymar > Landon Donovan.
But Landon Donovan > Lionel Messi > Cristiano Ronaldo
Dude also trying to break the record for most party night before an international game.
Probs some weird shit like Nandor Hidekguti had 70 assists to Puskas alone in 1953
Donovan was unironically a pretty damn good NT player.
Real shame he sufferered from depression and took a sabbitcal after his loan at Everton.
Add to that, the fact that he faced mighty opposition in CONCACAF, like Barbados, Belize and El Salvador…
Can only play who your confederation is able to schedule.
Similarly, I’ve always wondered whether there has been an Ali Daei for assists in CAF or AFC who just didn’t have their totals counted at the moment.
Just to note, some of ESPN’s statistics aren’t Opta based, so I don’t know exactly where they got their data from (probably Transfermarkt).
Opta stats:
Ronaldo has 34 assists, not 45.
Messi had 53 assists, not 56.
Neymar has 58 assists, not 59.
I’ve heard Lewandowski, Modric, Benzema, Suarez all have a better claim to 3rd greatest player of this generation over Neymar. Laughable. If you look at stats he passes with flying colors and if you do the eye test he passes with flying colors. He didn’t fulfill his potential I agree, but people talk as if he’s a complete failure.
People push this narrative of him “not fulfilling his potential” I just dont follow. He’s all time top scorer for Brazil and ahead of Roando and Messi for assists! How, by any metric, is that unfulfilled potential? He’s been the heart of several lackluster Brazilian sides but really can’t do much more. The diving just pisses people off, which I get.
History will treat him better.It’s simply because he wins no big trophies while leading a team
You cannot get away from that fact
Same issue with Kane
This comment makes no sense. Looks at the trophy cabinets
Suarez has a very strong claim to be the third best player in this generation.
Not everybody can win a European Golden Boot in the Premier League and La Liga in the era where Ronaldo and Messi scooped up every individual award.
He is a Copa America winner with Uruguay too…
Laughable that Lewa has been a world class #9 since 2012? Who genuinely has the case to have two Ballon d’Ors and has scored at an insane rate since going to Bayern? And also led his team to a treble which is more than anything Neymar has done without Messi?
All 4 of those players, and you can add Bale to the mix, were just much better for much longer.
Neymar is probably the most talented of them all, but he was just never available and failed his teams time after time.
Best ability is availability.
tbh imo even Neuer has a better claim of being the 3rd greatest of this generation over lewa, modric, benz and suarez
This is exactly true. Comparing a great attacker to the best goalkeeper to ever play the game just shows they don’t rate goalkeepers at all as if they’re not playing the same game.
Defenders and midfielders always get the rough end of the stick, as they don’t have the same stats to back them up.
Just look at Xavi. He was one of the greatest ever but gets criminally overlooked in these discussions as his role wasn’t really to get goals and assists.
Similar with Modric.
I like your argument more when you compare other forwards - in that case, Neymar has a good shout at being the 3rd best forward of his generation
Ridiculous statement. Can easily be argued that Suarez has been better.
The Barça’s Neymar yes, PSG’s Neymar not even close. He seems to deal better when he has better company to put him into confortable positions close to the box from the left (who would’ve guessed), but in Brazil and PSG they insisted to make him a 10 and he absolutely sucks in that position
Astonishing this. Literally every part of this comment is wrong.
Why do people have such strong opinions about players they clearly didn’t watch?
Idk what part of my opinion was “strong”, i’ve watched Neymar since his debut in Brazil as he played for my team here and i’m saying that he is a winger that finish the play, not a midfielder as he has been playing in NT and sometimes in PSG. Or you’re read my coment wrong or is too much sensible
The entire comment. Starting with saying he was a better player at Barça than he was at PSG (he was not, not even close) and then describing him as a player who needed players to supply him the ball in the final 3rd and then finishing off with saying he couldn’t play as a 10. Every single part of that comment was nonsense.
The best version of Neymar, the one we’ve seen at his peak playing for Brazil and PSG and who we got flashes of at Barça, has always been the one who had the freedom to be the team’s main playmaker. Even in Barça times we could see it. The Neymar we got at Barça was great, but he was limited by having to play a secondary role to Messi. Fewer opportunities to playmake and more responsibility of having to provide width and depth and make runs in behind. The Neymar we saw during every international break was the real Neymar. A devastating playmaker and dribbler and easily the 2nd best creative fulcrum (next to Messi) there’s been in the past 15 years.
Not a single person who actually watches Neymar thinks of him as someone who thrives best being on the end of chances. What you’re describing is a player like Mbappé or Cristiano.
Neymar won UCL and Libertadores, scoring in both finals and being ucl top scorer as a winger. He was fast, great dribbling and finishing with a shot or assist. Neymar as a 10 has no stats to back him, poor performance in UCL KOs except for 1 year and a mid performance with Brazil NT, he carries the ball to much and loses possession all the time as well as wasting many attacking chances by simpy not passing the ball, also can consistenly ping passes like Messi in this role. As a winger He was much more like a Ribery than a Mbappe or Cristiano, and was great at it, if we had a proper 10 in the build up with him in his natural position he would be 3x the player he has been
I’m not saying he wasn’t best as a winger, I’m saying he was best as a winger who with the freedom to be his team’s main playmaker. That’s the way he played in that Libertadores win, in almost his entire Brazil career, in Barça whenever Messi was out and at PSG.
That’s a difference from how he played as winger in that Barça treble season (where he was great, no doubt but that treble was about the entire front 3 fittin together and Messi having his peak season. Neymar himself had far from reached his best level). If anything during that treble season should be a reference for the best version of Neymar it’s the way Messi player in that free winger role. Receive the ball early and have all the freedom to dribble, pass, shoot, etc while other players are tasked with being at the end of your chances.
And as for him not being able to play the 10, look back one year. He’s done it for stretches in his career but that PSG stretch before the WC he was playing some of his best football ever pretty much all from that left 10 position.
I’ve heard Lewandowski, Modric, Benzema, Suarez all have a better claim to 3rd greatest player of this generation over Neymar. Laughable
It’s not. Neymar has been injured half the time since he left Barca, if you only count their prime years than sure.
Neymar thinks he’s on the team
He’s got better numbers per game than the other two lol
I prefer Suarez as the worlds 3rd best player .
The only Goat to me CR7!
He Should’ve never leave Barcelona
Penalties and headers.
I’m so f*cking tired of hearing about these people xD
Brazil let Neymar down, not the other way around. Incredible stats.
Lichtenstein has so much to answer for.
Neymar is only 31???
A healthy Neymar would have won a Ballon d’Or
Which year?
Be specific.
I genuinely think he would have easily become the 2nd best player in your history if he never left Barca. Can’t think of a more perfect replacement for Messi. He really should have never left Barca
you’re caping hard bro
and a fortnite tournament
Remove friendlies, it’s funnier than this.
Add wc nockout goals too
Add UCL knockout goals
I’m not downplaying Ronaldo, but I feel as if 178 goals or 128 goals against countries like Brazil/Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia or Ecuador (specially in the heights) are “worth” much more than goals scored against the likes of Luxemburgo or Malta.
Its probably just bias, but a factor worth considering regardless, considering how much tighter Conmebol is (also applies to Suarez I feel)
In competitive internationals:
Messi: 124 Games, 57 Goals, 37 Assists, 94G/A, 0.46 goals per game, 0.76 G/A per game.
Ronaldo: 151 Games, 107 Goals, 25 assists, 132 G/A, 0.71 goals per game, 0.87 G/A per game.
Neymar: 58 Games, 33 Goals, 29 assists, 62 G/A, 0.57 goals per game, 1.07 G/A per game.
Ronaldo never had finishers around him like Neymar and Messi. They’ve played with some absolute talent at Argentina and Brazil when compared to Portugal.
Always playing victim as if Portugal aren’t always filled with talent and underachieving. Portugal screwing up is their fault. They have had world class players before and even today have one of the most stacked teams in international football
Portugal was not filled with talent from 2008-2018. They are stacked now but outside of Ronaldo their talent was pretty meh for a major international side. Mind you neither Neymar or Messi played with a golden generation either, but I think it’s folly to pretend that some of those past Portugal teams were anything special.
Yeah, Messi and Neymar are so lucky. Ronaldo is stuck with bums like Checks notes Bernardo Silva, Rafael Leao, Joao Cancelo and Checks notes again Joao Felix, Ruben Dias, Bruno Fernandez…
lol he didnt have these dudes on portugal with him until he was 37/38 years old. he won the euro in 2016 with players like joao mario and nani up front with him
The utter disrespect for Eder smh
The Lord eder blessed the tiny nation of Portugal with his majesty and gifted them an international trophy, you would be wise to address him in the correct manner heathen.
I mean, does that matter when he normally goes against way lower competition in official matches than what Messi and Neymar face?