Neymar to samba to the Golden Boot?
Who will dance to the Golden Boot? Neymar or Messi?
As a team, Brazil have not yet caught light.
As an individual, Neymar most certainly has.
For all of the pressure, for all of the expectations, the bright hope of the host nation continues to play as if he's just another kid trying to make an impression from the fringes of the team.
And yet he is anything but. He is Brazil's talisman, he has four goals already and both the World Cup and the Golden Boot are well within his grasp.
It's hard to think of any other young player who has dealt with the pressure of fame quite as well as Neymar.
It's difficult, through a television, to correctly judge the scale of Neymar-mania, but if you imagine a level of scrutiny, adoration and expectation that sits somewhere in between President Obama and Justin Bieber's lives, you'll be quite close.
Every street has a Neymar billboard, every magazine has a Neymar picture. He's seen on TV on a near-constant basis.
The entire nation, quite astutely given some of his teammates' performances, look to him for salvation.
And still he trots onto the pitch with a look of serenity upon his face. How does he do it?
The young man has a spark about him, a desire to take matters into his hands, regardless of the punishment that will always be dished out.
He takes pushes and pokes, kicks and trips, all of them in his stride, and then he gets up and he runs at his opponents once again.
With a team who are built more on a pragmatic ideal than an image of perhaps outmoded romanticism, the pressure on Neymar intensifies. If he can't do it, there are very few in yellow who can.
If Brazil are to progress further, they'll have to get past Chile first.
Some players - Paulinho, Hulk and Fred in particular - have underperformed consistently. Like Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal, Neymar can't be expected to do it all alone.
"I know one thing," said teammate Willian. "Neymar is a star. He is the biggest name in the squad, one of the best in the world.
SHARE THE LOAD
"But his responsibilities are something we all want to share. We all feel it and we all want to take that responsibility."
In his mission to win the World Cup, he has been guided by the dominant presence of veteran manager Luiz Felipe Scolari.
The 65-year-old coach has made a great show of protecting Neymar when his critics have come for him, and gently pulling his feet back to earth when he gets ahead of himself.
Neymar can have no greater ally, nor better example of character.
But the hopes of the Brazilian people are really intensifying now.
Having seen an unspectacular progression through a straightforward group, now they want to see style and supremacy.
More and more, they will look to Neymar.
He has dealt with their demand up until now.
But can he continue to deliver when it counts?
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