Dubai: As Brazil brace to meet Belgium for a mouth-watering quarter-final on Friday, the public opinion about their talismanic winger Neymar seems to have been polarised more than ever before. If it’s been the memes on social media, coaches and rival players who had been at the receiving end of his mix of genius and theatrics so far, a neutral voice minced no words the other day.

Lothar Matthaus, the ironman of German defence and five-time World Cupper, said that given the Brazilian’s skill sets, which makes him a true successor of the best footballer’s mantle from Messi and Ronaldo, he surely does not need to overdo his diving bit. The 1990 World Cup winning captain was in the stands during Brazil’s last 16 match against Mexico when Neymar gave a blood-curling shriek and rolled up repeatedly near the touchline in response to what seemed a routine tap.

The star himself was quite brazen about it at their post-match press conference while coach Tite — a players’ man to a fault — tried to be as protective as possible without being as convincing. For a side that is historically known for it’s flair as well as playing it fair, it’s not an exaggeration to say that Neymar’s diving has been often a source of embarrassment in Russia so far.

It’s a given that the best of ball players of each generation — from Maradona to Messi or Ronaldo — takes the hit the most and tries to win that extra free kick or, if possible, the penalty. A certain degree of street smartness, or trickery to put it bluntly, is required to pull the wool over the referees’ eyes but Neymar’s newfound reputation may now go against him to be taken seriously.

What is it that has seen Neymar going rather over the top this time?

Mind you, he has been subjected to several cynical fouls during his dazzling career — with the image of Colombia’s Juan Zuniga pouncing on him with a sickening thud in Brazil four years back still vivid in memory. It caused a broken vertebra in his spine, which not only put him out of the World Cup at home, but threw a big question mark on his playing career.

Then only 22, Neymar had overcome the trauma to price himself as the world’s highest-paid footballer in the last four years, but fate again came in the way when he picked up another debilitating injury while playing for PSG only in February, which jeopardised his World Cup plans yet again.

As he broke down after scoring his first goal in this World Cup in the crucial group game against Costa Rica, Neymar said: “In my life, things have never been easy, it would not be right now.”

Could such emotional frailty be caused by his overanxiousness to excel in this World Cup after a blow to his 2014 dreams?

May be, there are two Neymars after all. The one that comes off across as the spoiled new generation star who enjoys the high life, flies on his own jet and rakes in the millions. The other one could be still be the starry-eyed kid from the poor neighbourhood of Sao Paulo — toughened by the rough life — for whom trying to ‘win’ over the ref with his antics is only another rule for survival.

Back in Brazil, Neymar knows how important it is to hold that trophy aloft at least once to be counted in the same bracket as a Romario or Ronaldo. And he seems to be ready to go up to any length to reach the goal.