Is Neymar an all-time great?
As the Brazilian forward heads home to Santos, how should we view his career?
It was a hot and humid day in Barcelona. Outside Camp Nou, there was complete chaos. As fans flocked into the stadium for Neymar’s official presentation, a lookalike fooled some into thinking it was the man himself, happily posing for pictures on the stadium forecourt. Inside the ground, two supporters raised a banner. “Florentino, en Madrid no hay mar, ni Neymar,” it read, alluding to Real Madrid president Pérez. Florentino, in Madrid there’s no sea… and no Neymar!
Barcelona had beaten Real Madrid, and just about every other top team in Europe, to the signing of the world’s most exciting young player. After years of speculation and an extended stay at Santos, comparisons to Pelé and protracted negotiations with both Barça and Madrid, Neymar’s career was set for its next level.
That was 11-and-a-half years ago. And now, just over a week before his 33rd birthday, Neymar is heading home to Santos. To where it all started. Having played just seven matches for Al-Hilal in a disastrous move disrupted and interrupted by an anterior cruciate ligament injury, Neymar has had his contract with the Saudi Pro League side rescinded and is all set for an emotional return to the Vila Belmiro.
It is worth remembering that Neymar is the most expensive player in football history, having left Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain in a €222 million (£200m) transfer which stunned the sport in 2017. A treble winner at Barça and Copa Libertadores champion with Santos, Neymar also claimed multiple titles at PSG. He has scored over 100 goals for three clubs: Santos, Barça and PSG. At Barça, he was part of a forward line – alongside Messi and Luis Suárez – described by coach Luis Enrique as the greatest front three in the history of football. And in 2023, he overtook the legendary Pelé to become Brazil’s all-time top scorer.
And yet, despite all of that, there is the feeling that Neymar’s career has not quite lived up to those early expectations.
At Barça, he was seen by the club’s hierarchy as an eventual heir to Lionel Messi, but was in the Argentine’s significant shadow for much of his Camp Nou career. Even when he inspired that incredible second-leg comeback from 4-0 down to beat Paris Saint-Germain 6-1 in the Champions League in March 2017, it was the photo of Messi celebrating with fans which became iconic. And he infuriated fans with the nature of his exit to PSG a few months later, with the Catalan club left powerless and in the dark as the Parisians paid his hefty release clause.
At PSG, he was often outstanding and it was probably at the Parc des Princes where he played his best football, but a lack of interest internationally in Ligue 1 and a virtual monopoly for the Parisians due to the club’s huge wealth, plus the inability to get the team over the line in the Champions League mean the move did not exactly work out as planned. An attempt to leave in 2019 did not help, either, while local lad Kylian Mbappé was the idol for many fans.
And with Brazil, an Olympic gold medal and a Confederations Cup win is not considered an adequate return for a player who was supposed to be a generational talent, ready to lead the Seleção to World Cup and Copa América glory. Brazil did win the continental crown in 2019, but Neymar was missing through injury. And injuries, unfortunately, always seemed to intervene at the most inopportune moments – either ahead of the Champions League knockout rounds, in the lead up an international tournament or in the latter stages of those competitions.
The move to Al-Hilal, meanwhile, has to go down as one of the worst transfers in the history of football. The Saudi Pro League side paid PSG £77.6 million (€90m) to sign the Brazilian forward, plus wages of around £137.8 (€150m) per annum, only for their prized asset to pick up a serious injury on international duty, miss a whole year of action and leave after playing only seven times for the club, scoring once.
Neymar should have been a Ballon d’Or winner. Perhaps unfortunate to play in an era dominated by Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, this could have been his time. With Messi in Miami and Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia, Neymar could have seized the opportunity to finally prove himself as the world’s finest footballer.
Instead, he followed the money to the Saudi Pro League at the age of just 31 and was struck down by injury. That might have happened anyway, but some of his career choices will ultimately affect his legacy. As he heads home for a romantic return to Santos, which will be fun, he may wonder what might have been. The 33-year-old should be seen an all-time great, but is he? Not by many… and that’s a real shame.
How far do you think Neymar could have gone without injures?
Can't be great when you miss the same crucial stretch of the year each season with either injury or "previous commitments".