Barça's Neymar needs to tread carefully after Copa America antics

It may not be fair, but... the Copa America has shown that the hunting of top players is a sport practiced throughough all of the world. Both Messi and Neymar have been harrassed by niggling fouls. They are the best players and their opponents don't currently have any other way to slow them down, making difficult situations for referees, where like in all of the world, there are as many bad ones as good.

All of this could come to an end if the referees applied the rules, more or less. I don't agree that the best players have to be protected more than the rest, the rules are there to protect all footballers, but the referees have to do their bit to avoid unnecessary force on the pitch. It has been this way forever, and I don't have even the slightest hope that it is going to change. The best Messi and Neymar can do is not rise to provocation, which only serves to worsen their situation. It isn't fair, but it is the most intelligent thing to do.

I am going to focus on Neymar, who is currently running the risk of transforming into a controversial footballing figure and one hated by opposition fans, when in reality he is a victim of circumstance. At the last World Cup, he was sent to hospital by Zuniga after a hard tackle, but nothing came of it. And now, also against Colombia, he was sent off for a poor reaction after all of the kicks he had suffered went unpunished. Neymar had to control himself and not sink to the level of his opponents. Xavi Hernandez recently gave some advice in a recent interview with Sport: "Neymar must seriously think about how he acts." Essentially, play without losing your head. I repeat, it isn't fair, but it would be worse for him to get the reputation of being an infamous figure or liar, which is exactly what his opponents and those who are against Barça want.