When the sun broke the horizon in Madrid on Holy Thursday, thousands of madrileños were worshipping in the street, albeit not quite yet in city’s many historic churches. Madridistas of all shapes and sizes were praying at the pagan god, Cibeles, the fountained plaza where Real Madrid had just passed through around 4:30 AM to celebrate with their newest toy, the 2014 Copa del Rey trophy.

Madridismo is a unique kind of religion, one based on finding inner peace through victory. The house that Bernabéu built is an institution in which Real fans rejoice in the practice of becoming the pinnacle of success, a model for all else to follow but never reach. It is a fight to purge the sins of all that is blaugrana, Barça, and Catalan.

Wednesday night in Valencia’s Estadio Mestalla, 100 million-euro signing Gareth Bale, the wing-footed savior, had fulfilled his prophecy and perhaps price tag by casting away the demons of Camp Nou who have spent the last half-decade tormenting Real Madrid. The road-runner to Barcelona’s coyote (in this case Marc Bartra), the Welsh thunderbolt flashed past his marker on a blistering gallop from the halfway line before delicately nutmegging Pinto, who will have added a grey hair or two to that ponytail.

Moments later, Madrid were in debt of another savior. This hero stood relatively still the entire match, cloaked in Madrid white, and sturdy when called upon behind Saint Iker Casillas’ left shoulder. Yes, Madrid have the post to thank for keeping the score 2-1 until the final whistle. Neymar had missed.

Whereas Real Madrid’s match-winning opportunity was cut athletically on the break by their most audacious signing in Cristiano Ronaldo's absence, it would be only fitting if Barcelona’s last gasp chance to make honors even would fall to their own big money asset. But a stuttering Neymar fluffed his lines, his toe-poke technique telling all but a confident finish. By that point the headlines had written themselves, illustrating the story that Bale had excelled and accelerated while Neymar remained in the periphery with Leo Messi until he arrived just in time to choke.

Is that a fair assessment, though? The cutting edge the Brazilian exhibited in last summer’s Confederations Cup in Brazil salivated the tongues of Barcelona fans the world over. The Brazilian was nifty, quick, inventive, and decisive. He flaunted that same kind of freestyle, showboat confidence that cult hero Ronaldinho supplied in his best years and better yet, his new partner in crime would be none other than the world’s best player, Lionel Messi.

A recipe for trophies or disaster?

Who doesn’t love that cheeky demeanor in an attack-minded player, that butts-off-seats flair that ignites the imagination? While at Santos, Neymar caught the eye of not only his current employers but of course, the 2014 Copa del Rey campeón, Real Madrid. His allure of whirlwind stepovers and his wonder goals carved out from mazy runs had clubs lining up with suitors' prices from all over the world. The act of signing Neymar would be a signal of intent, a personal triumph that each of the el clásico counterparts sought tenaciously. The thoughts of the world’s “next Pelé” in their strip brought the kind of panicked emotions mimicking the Di Stéfano euphoria.

To cut a long story short, Florentino Pérez edged too close to the crown jewel of Santos and in doing so, chopped down his opportunity to sign the phenom. FC Barcelona’s more calculated and gracious approach ultimately curried favor with the Brazilian club who allowed the Catalans more exclusive privileges with their talisman. In hindsight, the battle for the Brazilian’s signature appeared more of a struggle of egotistical supremacy than it was of tactical recruitment.

Dejected, Pérez obviously learned his lesson and used his staunch business personality to land firestorm Tottenham hitman Gareth Bale, a feisty starlet on the cusp of his career breakthrough. (And to play on a hackneyed pun) By ‘Bale-ing’ out for a less impulsive signing, Madrid seemed to have reaped in the rewards, this time in the form of a trophy.

Real Madrid was a counter attacking team that used right-footed rocket Ronaldo on the left wing to cut in and punish. The idea of hare-footed Bale acting as the dueling violin on the opposite flank was not only a tantalizing thought but also a plausible tactical fit. It took some toying with Madrid’s formation to find a way to fit Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, and Ángel Di María into the same XI, but Carlo Ancelotti has devised a winning formula that can possess and counter. This seems to be the hybrid that is ushering out the tiki-taka system Neymar has been baptized in to.

In the Brazilian national team Neymar is:

1.) The main man that creates opportunities for his team by individual excellence because he is permitted time on the ball to let his inventive spark birth.

2.) He is also surrounded by other players who have faith in that kind of approach to the game and understand he needs to be a central figure.

It’s not hard to believe that Neymar arrived as a Barcelona player in the wrong era. The team he is fighting to make an impression on is coming off the back of their most successful epoch ever by playing a brand of football that isn’t his own, tiki-taka. The Brazilian’s greatest attributes rely in his 1v1 one dribbles; his own confidence swells as result of his personal impact. Yet how can he make his mark if every time he gets it, he has to give it right up again?

The king of tricky audacity, Ronaldinho, wasn’t in the plans of Pep Guardiola who set the foundation for Barcelona’s new dream team. Neymar doesn’t fit the model of Johan Cruyff passed down to Pep either. Tata Martino has tried to remain loyal to the Barça system but it’s been unearthed and overturned by Europe’s elite. Unfortunately, it may cost the Argentine his job because this season’s title hopes are looking grim and might not produce a trophy for the first time since 2008, six years ago.

“Barcelona’s problem is Neymar” – Johan Cruyff, March 25, 2014

Even the great Barcelona, a team that has redefined football and stretched its boundaries in the last five years has to evolve and bravely push forward into the unknown by refining the model they achieved so much with. The future may even behold a profitable career for Brazil’s Neymar at the club. A revolution in tactics could bring the front man to life but as for him and teammate Leo Messi, the aging Barcelona model hasn’t done many favors to send them on a high into this summer’s World Cup in Brazil. Each is expected to lead their nations to glory.

By failing to sign Neymar, the introduction of Gareth Bale has gelled at Real Madrid because he was more of a match for style of football the club intends to play. Neymar is a footballer of supernatural talent and a club like Barcelona can benefit from his abilities, but a player of his practiced forte has to be prepared for. The idea of signing him was captivating but how the player could be used to his max potential in the team’s make up may have been overlooked.

He didn’t hit the post on Wednesday night because he doesn’t have the disposition to succeed at that stage. He missed because his confidence has been curbed by tiki-taka. If the world is going to see the best version of Neymar at Barcelona, the team will have to cater more to his skill sets even if it means abandoning some of the values that were the cornerstone of their most successful era. Football is no more than a game of evolution and natural selection has been known to kill off the mammoths.

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About the author
Bobby Mohr
I hail from Erie, Pennsylvania, USA. I am a 24 year old writer with a degree in COMM Media and Spanish minor. Since my playing days in college, I have turned my focus to journalism and coaching. I am an avid supporter of Real Madrid, Southampton, and the United States national team of course. My outlook on football is religious. I view the sport as not only a game but a way of life, a uniting culture that the world shares to its farthest corners. I base my articles off of how I interpret the beautiful game through personal experience and often from the content view of a barstool on match day. Football belongs to the people; my job is to help deliver it to you.