"Messi is the best player in the world and I am here to learn from him."—Neymar
Lesson No. 1: Know your place.
The biggest star in Brazilian football began on the bench at Barcelona. Neymar had to watch as his new team put six goals past Levante before halftime.
He will have paid close attention to Pedro, who played on the left of Barcelona's front three. A few days before, Neymar had said, "I really like Pedro a lot. He is capable of doing everything on the pitch." He may have come to take Pedro's place, but at least he's trying to be nice about it.
In the 12th minute, Lionel Messi twisted away from a defender and angled a pass into the path of Pedro, advancing into the penalty area from the left. Most forwards would have shot at goal. Pedro made as if to shoot, then clipped a first-time pass across the 6-yard box, where he knew Messi would be arriving to sweep it into the net.
