It's a question posed to any footballer who succeeds in the relative atmospheric comforts of Serie A, La Liga and Ligue 1: "but could he do it on a cold Wednesday night at Stoke?" The implication being that in the cold of England in winter, players from lesser footballing areas like the Mediterranean and South America would wilt like the dead flowers they are. It is a perfect example of (false) Premier League exceptionalism. One of the latest footballers to find his Premier-League worthiness is Neymar, who this transfer window found himself surrounded by Manchester United transfer rumors. Neymar's former Brazil teammate Ronaldinho weighed in during a recent interview with The Mirror.
“He could and would succeed at any league in the world,” Ronaldinho said.
“Of course, there are always transition periods. But when you have that much ability you will succeed in any league in any country."
Any league? What about the vaunted EPL?
“England is not an easy league to succeed in, but yes of course he would be a success there.
“I can’t see why Barcelona would want to allow him to leave, but if he was to, I’m sure that it would have to be for a record fee.”
We will probably never find out how Neymar would fare in the Premier League, as we have a hard time believing any EPL team could afford the price tag Barcelona puts on him, but that doesn't stop us from speculating.
We happen to agree with Ronaldinho. Class is class, no matter which country you're in, and Neymar has class. It's true that different leagues play different styles, and that can affect players' percieved abilities, but when you're as good as Neymar you're bound to be successful anywhere.
(H/T Goal.com)
Contact The18 Staff Writer Sam Klomhaus at Klomhaus@The18.com or follow him on Twitter @SamKlomhaus
