Why Neymar Is the Barcelona Player with Most to Prove in International Week

No sooner has Neymar returned to Barcelona's first team after contracting mumps than he is off on international duty once more.

As captain of the Selecao, his presence in the side is a pre-requisite, but a round trip of thousands of miles for two friendlies at this point of the season is unlikely to please Barcelona manager Luis Enrique.

The manager would surely have preferred one of his marquee players to rest up before a huge La Liga assignment at Atletico Madrid.

However, international duty calls, with Neymar's trip to Harrison, New Jersey, to take on a managerless Costa Rica side followed by a date with the U.S. national team in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

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Neymar has scored 1 in 1 game v Costa Rica and 2 in 2 games against the USA - 1 of those was a rare header on his debut for Brazil in 2010

— Cerezo (@DennyCerezo57) August 31, 2015"

By the time he returns to Barcelona, Neymar will likely have just a day or two at best to prepare, but in any event, club matters will not be his concern right now and will need to be placed to one side for the interim.

Brazil take centre stage, and there are some question marks over the player's behaviour at international level that need urgent attention.

During a defeat by Colombia in the Copa America earlier this summer, Neymar was sent off late on for aiming the ball straight at Pablo Armero.

Having already been booked earlier in the game for dissent, it was an easy decision to red-card the youngster.

What transpired afterward, however, is what will concern Selecao manager Dunga. CNN reported at the time that:

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TV footage appeared to show Neymar leaning his head aggressively towards Jeison Murillo when the Colombia defender approached him in the aftermath of the ball being struck at Armero.

Reports in the Brazilian media also suggested the 23-year-old Barcelona star confronted Chilean referee, Enrique Osses, near the changing rooms after he was ushered down the tunnel by coaching staff.

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His actions led to a four-game ban, which served as a swift reminder of the responsibilities that come with the armband.

Ricardo Mazalan/Associated Press

There's little doubt that Neymar has the talent to eventually become the most prolific goalscorer for Brazil. For a country that spawned Pele, Ronaldo, Romario, Ronaldinho and more, to finish his career atop that particular bunch is worthwhile indeed.

Yet, if he is unable to rid himself of this penchant for nastiness that often comes across in his play both for Barcelona and Brazil, he'll be forever seen as a flawed genius. He'll be known as a player who, for all of his skill and prowess, just didn't have the necessary maturity to deal with on-pitch controversies in an appropriate manner.

The need to entertain is obvious. Brazil, and indeed the football family, expects a certain type of swagger when the national team play.

It isn't enough just to win matches. They have to be won with style and panache. Joga bonito, for want of a better term.

Neymar encompasses everything great about such a style of play, but if he wants to be considered as one of the very best ever then he has to knuckle down. Results first, performance second, individual glory a distant third. That's how it works when you're captain—team above all.

It's not as if the player doesn't have enough role models at club level to learn from either.

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Javier Mascherano are all completely different characters at Barcelona, yet all share that same trait that marks them out as captain material.

If Neymar can take just one thing from each of those contemporaries, not only will he become a better captain, but he'll also become a better player.

The days of incessant selfies and social media presence have to be secondary to his most important duty, too—that of leading his country appropriately to the next World Cup and beyond.

It's time to step up.