Reuters/GRIGORY DUKOR
In 2014, Neymar had the hopes of host nation on his shoulders and he responded magnificently to that pressure.
He netted four goals in five games at the competition before his tournament was cruelly ended and he missed out on Brazil’s semi-final against Germany which they would lose 7-1.
This time around, Neymar is the star man of an even better Brazil side that looks destined to go the distance. Here is why he will win the Golden Boot.
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Brazil will face Mexico in the last 16 and they are red hot favourites to get past their opponents.
Mexico floundered to a 3-0 defeat last time out against Sweden, and their confidence could well be drained heading into this fixture. The Mexicans would have been playing Switzerland had they got a point against Sweden, but now they must face one of the tournament favourites.
Reuters/MAXIM SHEMETOV
After that, Brazil will probably face either England or Belgium. Both are hard fixtures, but Brazil should have the quality to get past them.
Once you reach the semi-finals, it is anyone's guess as to who will win or even be there, but Brazil look like a side capable of getting that far.
Neymar has not got going yet
He has only scored one goal at the World Cup which means he is four behind current top scorer Harry Kane. That is quite the number to make up for Neymar, but if anyone can do it - he can.
Chances have been missed that he would usually score, and if he can find his shooting boots, there is no reason why he cannot score at a rate of at least one per game.
Reuters/GRIGORY DUKOR
If Brazil can get to the final, they will rely heavily on Neymar. So the further Brazil go, the more likely Neymar is to score more goals and win the golden boot.
And currently, Neymar has taken 16 shots, more than any other Brazil player. If his shooting percentages increase to his usual rate then he will start finding the net on a more regular basis.
Admittedly, he is the outsider for the Golden Boot, but if he starts performing the way we know he can then he should improve his scoring record.
Can he outscore Kane and Lukaku?
Currently, Harry Kane and Romelu Lukaku are dominating the Golden Boot talk, and rightly so. They have been very impressive so far, with Kane bagging a hat trick against Panama and Lukaku scoring two braces.
But Brazil are likely to meet one of these sides in the quarter-final and if they can knock them out, it will give Neymar at least a one-game advantage over them in the scoring race.
Kane and Lukaku have also had the advantage of playing two sides in Panama and Tunisia who are arguably the two poorest sides in the tournament.
So yes, Neymar is currently behind. But a player of his quality can make up those goals in the later rounds.
Can Neymar start firing the goals at the World Cup? Let us know in the comments below.
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