Neymar, the latest diamond extracted from Brazil's mine of footballing talent, carries the hopes of a nation with one year to go to the World Cup, as well as the tag of "the new Pele" and rock-star status in his homeland.
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The flashy 21-year-old star of the Selecao, with his eccentric, perpetually changing haircut, is taking all the attention in his stride, vowing to "make his mark" at Barcelona, where he has just signed for a cool €57 million .
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As if it was not hard enough to be an equal to the legendary Pele, Neymar will also have to shine in the shadow of the brilliant Lionel Messi at Barca – the world's best player whom he hopes to emulate one day.
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With an incredible technique and a hatful of goals circulating everywhere on the Internet, Neymar has quickly established himself as an icon in a Brazil deprived of any major star since Ronaldo, Ronaldinho or Robinho lost their lustre.