Brasileirão

Today, the world is colored in black and white as Corinthians beat Chelsea with a header by Paolo Guerrero in the 69th minute to put the Brazilian club over the European representatives in Yokohama to win the 2012 FIFA Club World Cup. 

Brazilian fans, like me, may disagree with this, but the bottom line is that this title doesn't mean a lot—except that it is the second loss for Chelsea's head coach Rafa Benitez in Japan. 

Then the manager for Liverpool, Rafa Benitez lost in 2005 after the performance of a lifetime by São Paulo goalkeeper Rogério Ceni, and today after another stellar set of saves by Cassio.

There aren't a lot of things that can be extracted from this competition, but here are a few important conclusions.

Influence of Support

There is undeniable influence of support in a David vs. Goliath match. Corinthianos all around Brazil might disagree with me, but Chelsea were undoubtedly the favorites to win this match. The 22,000 Corinthian fans who made the journey to Japan, however, propelled Corinthians forward in playing a shut-down defense against both Al-Ahly and Chelsea while being committed to counter-attacks. 

The Nação Corinthiana invaded Japan like no other supporters have in the history of these intercontinental confrontations. There is massive TV audience because South Americans, generally, take this title very seriously.

Never has Japan seen an invasion by a group's supporters that varies so much. There are stories of people who sold all their homes or cars to make the extremely expensive journey around the globe. 

A New Brand of Brazilian Football

For those of you who thought that Brazilian football was all about high-flying offenses with abundantly skillful players, welcome to the new evolution of the sport: Brazilian centre-backs such as Dante, Lúcio and David Luiz are in the best leagues in the world today, like the Bundesliga and Serie A.

Also, Brazil is giving birth to more box-to-box midfielders than it used to.

Paulinho is the premier example of the new breed of midfielders coming to Brazil. He can both tackle and play defense like the best out there and, reminiscent of the early Cesc Fabregas in Arsenal, he has a quality touch and is an able passer. His best quality, much like Fabregas, is to show up and compose the attacking ranks like a false 9 when Paolo Guerrero isn't on the pitch. 

Paulinho was the biggest goal scorer for Corinthians this season. He was essential in the victory of the Copa Libertadores, and now the Club World Cup.

This shows something else Brazilian teams have taken a page from European squads and implemented in their playing style.

Corinthians, and most teams here in Brazil, are playing more of a possession game, where the field isn't spread out like it used to be. Brazilian teams used to play with quick forwards and wingers in a game that didn't need much skill from the centre-backs and the defensive midfielders. 

Now, we see a lot more one-touch plays and a lot more triangular passing. With triangular passing, the pace can be increased or diminished, allowing the whole team to advance as a whole rather than only in sections like it used to be. 

Football Marketing Revolution

This all started when Ronaldo came to play for Corinthians. Single-handedly, his presence made Corinthians a world-wide brand. He also managed, through his company 9ine, to put the Corinthians brand all over the place with MMA star Anderson Silva.

Never in Brazilian football history has a team focused so heavily on marketing schemes to help fund its actions: The team store is always bustling with customers, the construction of its new arena is underway and will be featured in the 2014 World Cup, but all these contributions take second place.

The biggest contribution to Brazilian football is that Ronaldo's return from an unlucky spell at AC Milan made the Brazilian Championship attractive to ex-pats playing in Europe and elsewhere. 

Corinthians managed to snatch up Adriano, even though he was largely absent, and now Paolo Guerrero, who wasn't tough to get. With Deco, Ronaldo and Clarence Seedorf coming over to play, the quality of the whole product has increased, and their presence lends more credibility to the whole league.

The Brazilian economic growth phase won't last for much longer, but as these players come to retire in our league, their presence should raise the overall quality of play. 

Comparing two young talents is always a difficult task for there are many factors that can influence the development of a player—it is not simply a case of who has the most natural skills and abilities. This is all the more prevalent when comparing players like Santos' Neymar with in-form AC Milan striker Stephan El Shaarawy.

We have simply never seen the pair compete on a level playing field given the differences in ability of their teammates, the leagues they play in and the length of time they have sustained their performance levels. So, just how do you decide which is the better prospect?

There can be no doubting that El Shaarawy's achievements this season have been phenomenal. Few players are able to make such an impact on a giant of the European game at just 20 years old, and Il Faraone deserves all the plaudits he is receiving for his recent form.

We are now in December and the former Genoa player shows no sign of letting up, having been involved in over 50 percent of his side's Serie A goals this season. He has overshadowed his more renowned teammates to top the Serie A scoring charts with 13 goals in 16 Rossoneri appearances—an incredible feat.

A month ago, the argument in favour of Neymar was simple—El Shaarawy had simply not shown these levels of performance over a sustained period. With each passing week, though, the Italy forward is doing his utmost to dispel that argument and prove that he is, indeed, as good as his record suggests.

His argument is getting stronger, but until his form is carried into a second season, there will be doubts over whether he is simply a flash in the pan. He had always been quick, agile and technically strong, but El Shaarawy must prove that he can maintain his clinical edge in front of goal.

So, what of Neymar? Like the AC Milan star, the Brazilian also generally lines up on the left side of a forward line—either in a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 formation. But for now, that is where the similarities end. As good as the Italian has been this campaign, he has a long way to go to prove himself to be on the Brazilian's level.

The positives of Neymar's game are clear, so I am not going to dwell on them for too long. In terms of sheer talent, he has the potential to challenge the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for their crown. Instead, it is more important to dispel some of the myths that surround him.

The first and most commonly heard assumption is that he is "overrated" because he has only achieved in the Brazilian game.

It's an easy accusation to make, but is ultimately a lazy jibe considering the same people have been instantly wowed by many of those who have come from Brazil into the European game. And, while it may be true that Neymar will have to learn to adapt to the differing style of play in Europe, there has been no reason to suggest he could not.

For all the space afforded to players of his ilk in Brazil, it most certainly is not easy for them to succeed. At times, the punishment received from opposing defenders, particularly in the Copa Libertadores, verges on assault and referees are inclined to offer little protection. There are times when you would scarcely believe that these incidents could take place in the home of Joga Bonita.

To overcome this harassment and still produce the best goals and assist per game ratio of anyone in his league is a phenomenal achievement at his age—particularly given that he is playing in a Santos side that desperately struggled without him.

A year ago, aged just 19, Neymar carried his side to the prestigious Copa Libertadores title. To put that triumph into context, Brazil's best supported club Corinthians won their first title in their 100-year history earlier this year.

It is this weight of expectation that few others have to deal with at such an early age, and he has rarely disappointed.

It is in this light that accusations of him being a "YouTube footballer" whose skills do not correlate to end product, are even more bizarre.

Many games in Brazil's state championships are admittedly too easy for him, that is without doubt. But the sheer weight of goals and assists that Neymar has notched up in both the national championship and continental competitions must count for something. That is also before considering the 17 goals scored in 27 appearances at international level for Brazil.

There is no doubt that Neymar will eventually head to Europe and it will be at that time that he can place himself amongst footballing greats. But, the idea that his achievements matter less because he does not play in Europe is a conceited fallacy.

El Shaarawy is a fine player and, unlike Neymar, he is scoring his goals in one of Europe's big leagues. However, for consistency of return over an extended period, his record cannot compete with the Brazilian and, quite simply, he is not on the same level.

Despite their similar starting positions, they are very different players and, for the moment, it is the Brazilian who has more to offer in his all-around game. He can be both the finisher that El Shaarawy has shown himself to be, whilst also offering a creative presence outside the box that the Italian is yet to consistently display.

At AC Milan, the young Italian has achieved much this campaign and will doubtless go on to greater feats for both club and country. He is, though, still very much a young player whose feats are compared to the progress of his peers.

Neymar, though, has long since been judged as a senior player and been forced to deal with the pressure that in itself entails. He is no longer compared to the likes of Lucas Moura or Bernard, both of whom are the same age, but rather Messi and Ronaldo. That in itself is testimony to his talent.

It is no slight on El Shaarawy that he does not compare favourably to the Santos forward. The simple facts are that very few come close to Neymar in terms of either talent and achievements. Just to be compared with him, as it is to be compared with Messi, is a compliment in itself.

Anything Leo Messi can do, Neymar can do after. At least, that's true in the realm of superstar sports logos.

Last year, Argentine mega-star Lionel Messi came out with his very own logo, a personal branding mark that suggested the diminutive forward is more Marvel Comics than FC Barcelona.

This year, it's Neymar's turn. Behold, the Neymar logo (h/t Dirty Tackle).

Actually, it's more like the Neymar Jr. logo. In the States, we generally refer to him as just Neymar, but in his homeland, the 20-year-old budding superstar is more likely to be called Neymar Jr.

Agree to disagree, we guess.

The new logo, which was designed by advertising agency Loducca, appears in the clip above. It's our Set Piece Video of the Day for this Wednesday. Enjoy.

So what do we all think of Neymar's new branding? If you squint enough and cross your eyes a little, the first letter looks like a hybrid of the lowercase letter "n" and the number 11.

That's by design, of course. Neymar wears No. 11 on the pitch.

The shape of the n/11 is reflected on the opposite side of the logo, where a lowercase "r" finishes everything off. In the middle, an exaggerated "j" breaks up the whole thing and creates balance and symmetry.

Well, that's what we think, anyway. We kind of like it, even if it does remind us vaguely of a hipster New Jersey Devils logo.

With the World Cup coming up in less than two years, Neymar is poised to enter the realm of super-duper-star. Once he has his logo and a place on a big European team, we might be talking about an unprecedented level of stardom.

He is, after all, only 20, and he hasn't ever played in Europe or a World Cup. And he's already this popular.

Let us know what you think of the logo—and Neymar's future—in the comments below.

Follow @MikeCummings37