Neymar is arguably one of the best players of his time but most people don’t see that owing to the fact that he has been in Messi’s shadow.
Neymar moved from Brazil side Santos FC to Barcelona on 24 May 2013, and enjoyed an illustrious career in Spain before going to France.
Neymar however, have been called lazy by several fans and Benzema on the other hand has been described as one of the best in his generation.
While this is somewhat true, this is not statistically untrue as Benzema just surpasses Neymar with just a goal despite playing 167 games more.
On Futballnews today, we are going to talk about both players and their achievements career-wise.
Neymar
Neymar da Silva Santos Junior, better known by his stage name Neymar, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays forward for both the Brazil national team and Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain. He was born on February 5, 1992.
He is recognized as one of the top players in the world because he is a prolific goal scorer and well-known playmaker.
One of just three players to do so is Neymar, who has at least 100 goals for three separate clubs.
Neymar rose to fame with Santos, when he made his debut in the league at the age of 17.
He assisted the team in capturing two straight Campeonato Paulista titles, a Copa do Brasil, and the 2011 Copa Libertadores, Santos’ first since 1963.
In 2011 and 2012, Neymar won the South American Footballer of the Year award twice. He then moved to Europe to join Barcelona.
He won the continental treble of La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the UEFA Champions League while playing for Barcelona’s MSN attacking trio, which also included Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez.
The following year, in 2015–16, he completed a domestic double. Neymar moved to PSG in 2017 for a transfer fee of €222 million, making him the most expensive player ever. His motivation was to serve as a talisman at the club level.
He received numerous awards in France, including four league championships and the Ligue 1 Player of the Year award in his first campaign.
Notably, he guided PSG to its first-ever Champions League Final and assisted the team in winning the domestic quadruple in the 2019–20 season.
Neymar and Pelé are the top two goal scorers for their national team, each having scored 77 goals for Brazil since making his debut at the age of 18.
He had a significant role in Brazil’s win at the 2011 South American Youth Championship, when he finished as the tournament’s top scorer. He also won a silver medal for Brazil in the men’s football competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
He won the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup and the Golden Ball the following year.
After being sidelined by injuries and a suspension from the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2015 Copa América, respectively, he captained Brazil to their first Olympic gold medal in men’s football at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Despite giving up the captaincy, he played in the 2018 World Cup and, after being injured and missing the 2019 Copa América, led Brazil to a runner-up result at the 2021 competition.
Karim Benzema
Karim Mostafa Benzema, a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for La Liga team Real Madrid and serves as its captain, was born on December 19, 1987.
Benzema is recognized as one of the greatest strikers of all time and is a prolific and imaginative attacker.
Benzema has won 23 trophies with Real Madrid, including four La Liga, two Copa del Rey, and five UEFA Champions League crowns. He is the second-highest goalscorer and top assist provider in Real Madrid history.
Born in Lyon to parents from Algeria, Benzema started his professional career in 2005 with Olympique Lyonnais, where he intermittently helped the team achieve three Ligue 1 championships.
He concluded the season as the league’s leading goalscorer, winning his fourth league championship and his first Coupe de France, and was named the league’s Player of the Year and a member of the Team of the Year in 2008.
When Benzema transferred to Real Madrid in 2009 for €35 million, it set a new French record for a football transfer.
After finding it difficult to establish himself in his first season, he eventually established a steady goalscoring rate with the team. In particular, he was a key member of the highly regarded BBC trio, along with Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, who were crucial to four Champions League victories from 2014 to 2018.
Benzema changed from a false nine to a lone striker in the wake of Ronaldo’s departure in 2018.
From 2018 to 2022, he received four straight selections to the La Liga Team of the Season. He also won the La Liga Best Player award twice and the Pichichi Trophy for the first time in 2022.
As he won his fifth championship in 2022, Benzema finished as the top scorer in the Champions League.
Benzema, a French international, made his senior debut for France in 2007 at the age of 19. He won the UEFA European Under-17 Championship in 2004.
He has 97 caps, is France’s fifth-highest goalscorer all-time, has appeared in four major tournaments, and has scored in three of them.
Neymar v Benzema
Neymar has played 698 matches for both club and country and has scored a total of 434 goals in his illustrious career.
While Kareem Benzema has played a total of 884 matches for both club and country and have amassed a total of 450 goals.
With this Benzema has 186 matches more than the Brazilian and only passes Neymar with 16 goals.
So the assertion than Neymar is lazy – though it has been evident in his styles of play, is completely false if you look at the statistics properly.
In this regard, Neymar is better off than Benzema despite not having played as much matches as the French International so far in his career.
