"Not everyone knows what happened to me to get here. Talk is cheap, even a parrot can do it, but do something? Few people can do that!! The cry is of joy, of overcoming, of willpower and desire to win. Things have never been easy in my life, it would not be now, right!!!"
Those the words of Neymar, forced into explaining his outpouring of emotion following Brazil's dramatic win over Costa Rica. The Selecao's star man slumped to his knees before bursting into tears having netted the second of two stoppage time goals in Saint Petersburg, and given his history with the tournament, why not?
The poster boy of a World Cup in his home nation four years ago, he was forced to watch on as his team suffered the ultimate humiliation against Germany in the semi-finals.
Tasked with leading Brazil on the path to redemption, Neymar's chances of even making it to Russia were left in limbo after he suffered a fractured metatarsal playing for Paris Saint-Germain in February – an injury which saw him miss the remainder of the club season as he aimed to be in prime condition for his arrival here.
Given all that, then, surely he can be forgiven a little moment to himself? Or was this just another episode in what is quickly becoming 'The Neymar show'?
Screaming at referees, punching the ball in frustration and - according to Thiago Silva – insulting his team-mates, Neymar has threatened to boil over as various points already during this tournament.
"He's like a little brother to me; I try to look after him," Thiago Silva told O Globo in the aftermath of Friday's win. "Today he disappointed me, because he insulted me really badly when I returned the ball.
"He was right in that they had really got stuck into him, but we weren't going to lose the game because of that one ball."
Whether it is desperation to win a trophy that slipped through his fingers in 2014 or an expectation that he will be indulged by team-mates and officials alike as he has been since his arrival at PSG, Neymar is not helping anyone with his behaviour in Russia, not least his own team.
While it is clear he is being targeted by opposition players and as such has not yet been able to showcase his full range of abilities on the biggest stage of them all, Neymar must start to understand that Brazil's team is no longer so dependent on him.
In Philippe Coutinho they have a creative force few others in the tournament can boast. In Gabriel Jesus and Roberto Firmino they have two of the Premier League's most potent goalscorers. In Marcelo they have the outstanding attacking full-back of his generation. In Alisson and Ederson they arguably have two of the top five goalkeepers on the globe at their disposal. The Fred-spearheaded Brazil of four years ago this is not.
And though it is clearly frustrating to not be able to fully express yourself when, at the age of 26, this is likely Neymar's best shot at picking up the Golden Ball for the Player of the Tournament, he has to learn that the mere fact opposition players are paying him so much attention will eventually allow others the room to express themselves and win games for him.
Though that theory has not quite come to fruition following a draw with Switzerland and that last-gasp win over Costa Rica, the promise of facing a Serbia team who will likely have to win to progress - before potentially facing Germany in the last 16 - may well mean Neymar finally gets the room he needs to fully put his stamp on this tournament.
For now, though, the only impact he has made is one of a spoiled brat. And Brazil are a far less likeable, and successful, team because of it.
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