24/7 soccer on television does not mean we receive the type of global coverage one might expect in the United States. The emphasis remains, on the English speaking channels at least, firmly focused upon Europe. So, when FIFA recently awarded the Brazilian wonderkid Neymar  the 2011 Puskas Award winner for world goal of the year, it seemed at odds with what is often perceived as a euro-centric point of view from this part of the football world.

The goal itself comes in three parts, Neymar receives a short pass on the ground and dances by a Flamengo double-team 45 yards away from goal on the left sideline (he touches the ball 3 times to elude those two) and then accelerates into the open field. He plays a long one-two with Santos #9 Borges, receiving the ball at about 35 yards from goal. He is then in full flight, with a recovering defender who never quite makes up ground on him he attacks the central defender, beating him with a “fat boy-auto-pass” (rolling the ball with his right foot to his left with two exquisite touches, pushing it by the defender’s right, running passed him to his left, receiving his own pass in the penalty area) where he out races two more defenders closing him down from both flanks and the onrushing ‘keeper, before depositing the ball into the left side of the goal with the outside of his right foot.

“Golazo” indeed!

Neymar’s audacity, technique, pace and finish on the goal are astounding. Watching him play is unlike watching anyone else. His foot skills are reminiscent of a younger Cristiano Ronaldo, but of a differing complexity. His command of the space around the ball, when he has it at his feet, extends in every direction (in a sphere) into which Neymar’s stopovers, scissor feints and flicks into the air turn defenders not only inside-out, but upside-down.

Neymar will beat a defender on the ground from a dead start. His first step is that explosive. His ability to stand defenders up, dares them to try to tackle the ball away. Few professionals are naive enough to dive-in anymore, and most that do attempt to defend Neymar by delaying his progress or hoping to react quickly enough, wind up chasing his shadow.

Not only does he possess phenomenal balls skills, quickness and acceleration but add to that a high top speed in the open field. With the ball at his feet, with no compromise of control, he must be met defensively with like-speed and/or the more cynically-minded physical tackle, because otherwise he will simply out dribble and outrun the first defender every go.

In 2010, Brazilian national team coach Dunga left him off the World Cup roster bound for South Africa. So we will never know if Neymar might have, at 17, given the world the kind of display the 17 year old Pele did upon his 1958 World Cup debut in Sweden. Indeed, Dunga ignored the urgings of Pele and current Brazilian forward Robinho when dropping Neymar from consideration for the squad. Dunga insisted it was because Neymar had not yet proven himself at the international level.

Maybe it had to do with the fact that Dunga was the type of midfield enforcer who would have had to impose a physical presence on a player like Neymar, as the only way to contend with his game? Their playing styles couldn’t be any more diverse, so it is quite possible. Ironically, Dunga was later criticized heavily in Brazil for his overly hard-defending and for the lack of beauty in his squad’s play … who were unceremoniously eliminated in the 2010 WC quarter-finals by the Netherlands.

With Brazil hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2014, pressure to win those finals will be immense. Perhaps, the more seasoned Neymar (at the ripe old age of 22) will then emerge even more fully on the world scene. He certainly will have the stage on which to prove it.

For now though he has been all Santos FC born and bred. Santos, the club from outside of Sao Paolo that Pele starred for and gave global prominence to, recently signed Neymar to a contract extension through 2015 on a salary competitive to his peers playing in Europe. Most likely however, Neymar will move on to one of the top clubs in Europe (Barcelona is heavily rumored these days) after finishing up for Santos after the World Cup 2014.

Despite all his talents, it would be very difficult for Neymar to reach the numbers that Pele did in his career, especially the 1281 career goals. The game has changed so dramatically in the past two generations that it’s unrealistic that anyone will challenge Pele’s career strike rate of nearly a goal per game for club and country.

However, considering how sophisticated and compact defenders and defenses have become, Neymar has established himself early on as a force to reckon with. He’s scored 85 times in 162 matches for Santos. His scoring rate on the national team is equally as impressive, with 8 goals in 15 full internationals.

As far as trophies and accolades, he led Santos to the 2011 Copa Libertadores championship over Peñarol (Uruguay) and he was named 2011 South American footballer of the year, as a teenager. The subsequent FIFA World Club Cup saw Neymar’s Santos and Lionel Messi’s FC Barcelona meet, with Barca in dominant form, winning in complete fashion, 4-0. Neymar gave this post-match reflection:”They were far, far the better team and we learned how to play football today.” Not a bad spin towards his possible future employers, in a land that would appreciate and incubate his scintillating talents like they did the aforementioned Messi.

For all his technical brilliance as an individual player, Neymar wisely knows that true strength in soccer is all about the side, the “Seleção’”, and as he continues to learn, the immediate beneficiaries will surely be his teammates and Brazil. And in turn, anyone who enjoys the skill, grace and improvisational tenacity of the beautiful game, will also come to be enthralled by watching this audacious, yet humble player.