Why Barcelona's Neymar Will Be the Pivotal Player for Brazil vs. Argentina

Somewhere between the ball hitting the back of the net for the third and final time in Barcelona's 3-0 win over Villarreal and the full-time whistle, Neymar became the second best player in the world.

Fans around Camp Nou could barely believe what they had seen. "Messi, Messi!" they had been chanting during the build-up to Neymar's spectacular strike, which saw him flick the ball over his head and volley past Alphonse Areola, but that turned to "Neymar, Neymar!"

Meanwhile, in the press box journalists pored over the replays on the scantily spread television screens, trying to note down accurately what had happened—at the same time attempting to do justice to the Brazilian's magic and improvisation—in their match reports.

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Of course, becoming the 'second best player in the world' is a subjective thing. Not everyone agrees that the best is Lionel Messi, let alone who should be second or third.

And one goal, however brilliant, can't stand for a player's whole body of work. So it wasn't his circus of a goal against Villarreal that earned him his place in the elite football rankings, but his work over the past year.

With Messi out of action because of his knee injury, it means that right now—in terms of form and availability—nobody tops Neymar. So when Argentina host Brazil on Friday night, without the best player in the world, it means that Brazil are holding the most dangerous weapon in world football.

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When the Ballon d'Or ceremony comes around in January, Neymar will surely be on the podium, although in all likelihood he will be third, with Cristiano Ronaldo second and Messi first, winning his fifth.

That's for various reasons, one being that it will take longer to upset the old order, the politics involved in the voting and the deservedly long-lasting legacy of Ronaldo's career.

But since April 2015, at the very least, Neymar has been playing a level above the Madrid man. Partly because he has raised his own game and continues to do so, on a steep upward curve. And partly because Ronaldo's form has fallen away, with only his goal tally in his favour.

Ronaldo has 26 goals in his last 27 games for Real Madrid, while Neymar has 26 in his last 28 for Barcelona. Identical totals with the Brazilian playing an extra match. But closer analysis reveals that the 23-year-old's goals simply carry more weight.

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Eight of these Ronaldo goals have come in two matches against a frankly pathetic Espanyol side, who put up little resistance on either occasion. A further three game in a dead rubber came against Getafe at the end of last season.

Neymar, meanwhile, scored three goals in the Champions League quarter-finals, three in the semi-finals and one in the final itself, as well as notching in the Copa del Rey final for good measure.

Goals aren't the be all and end all either, with Neymar's key talent being his ability to unbalance opposition defenders with two measures of speed and two of cunning, with one of flair thrown in for good measure.

Ronaldo has given up on trying to beat players and instead spends his time lurking in the penalty area trying to find the best spot to score from.

Some say this is because of Rafa Benitez's instructions, but he was doing much the same last season. As Muhammad Ahmad points out for Squawka:

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Neymar massacres Cristiano in the dribbling stakes. He always has and always will. Comfortably more than twice as many successful take-ons per 90 minutes than the Portuguese in both 2014/15 and 2015/16 (4.32 vs 1.36 is an incredible difference).

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This is not a criticism of the Portuguese forward. Ronaldo should be commended for reinventing himself as he enters the final furlong of his career. But it also means that pointing out Neymar has overtaken him as the second best player in the world should not be a controversial claim.

Nobody is saying historically that Neymar is better than Ronaldo. For that to happen, he would have to have several seasons playing at his current level, which there is no guarantee of.

But Neymar has become such an impressive force that he can settle any game, including the upcoming "Superclasico" in Buenos Aires, an important qualifying clash for World Cup 2018.

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With Carlos Tevez and Sergio Aguero also sidelined, Neymar stands as the best player on the pitch—head and shoulders above the competition. This is a great chance for Brazil to gain a win on enemy territory.

Per Sport, Villarreal manager Marcelino has branded Neymar as La Liga's most decisive player.

He said: "[He is in his best moment] because of how clearly he sees the route to goal and because of his way of playing. He's growing as a player, he's still young and he is the most decisive player in the league."

When Brazil go out to do some damage to the Albiceleste at the Monumental de Nunez in Buenos Aires, Neymar will be the player Gerardo Martino and his team are most worried about. Returning from his ban for fighting with Colombia players in the Copa America, the forward will be out to prove a point for his country.

Brazil are not a side in rude health, kicked out of the Copa America on penalties by Paraguay and recently losing 2-0 to Chile in the World Cup qualifiers, before seeing off Venezuela. Neymar is the man they will turn to now, for relief. He always is, especially since he drove them almost single-handedly to the World Cup quarter-finals in 2014.

And they can feel safer than ever putting their trust in him, as Neymar stands taller than he has before, surveying the landscape from his new position in the world-football hierarchy.