The boy is a man. And the man is now a legend.
The wait is finally over, the trophy cabinet complete. Neymar has done it. Brazil is back.
The five-time world champions have ended their long wait for Olympic glory, their golden boy hitting the winning penalty to secure the last major title the Selecao were yet to claim.
And he did it against Germany, where the slump started two years ago with that infamous 7-1.
With Barcelona reluctant to release their star for back-to-back major tournaments this year, Neymar’s decision to participate in the Olympic Games instead of the Copa America has been vindicated.
The quest for gold had become an obsession, leaving the Copa America a mere afterthought.
The hosts arrived as outright favourites in Rio, but faltered in Brasilia, slumping to back-to-back goalless draws against South Africa and Iraq.
The knives were out, and they were being jabbed at their captain. The public booed and jeered. They called for women’s team captain ‘Marta’ to take his place.
Neymar was disillusioned, he refused to speak to the press, leading to accusations he was not fit to wear the captain’s armband. He was petulant, out of control, ill-disciplined and overly individualistic.
And Brazil were over reliant on their poster boy for Rio 2016. Asked how he could combat that, Olympic coach Rogerio Micale said he did not want to – insisting he was all too happy to rely on Neymar.