Neymar Jr. has gone through one of the biggest downfalls in football history. Neymar was compared to Messi and Ronaldo, a player has been held back by constant injuries and controversies.
Neymar, instead of being praised for his talent, is becoming one of the most criticized and disliked players in the game. When we see a talented player like Neymar, elite level sort of talent, that he’s not matching the expectations, that he’s not maximizing what he can be, it is really frustrating.
So to analyze what went wrong in Neymar’s career, let’s start from his early days.
Neymar da Silva Santos: The Beginning
Neymar was born on February 5th, 1992 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He showed an extraordinary talent for football at a very young age and by the age of 11, he was already being scouted by some of Brazil’s top clubs.
In 2003, Neymar joined the Santos FC Youth Academy, the same club that produced legends like Pelé. By the time Neymar was 17, his talent had earned him a spot on Santos’ senior team.
Neymar’s breakthrough came in 2010 when he led Santos to victory in the Campeonato Paulista, scoring 14 goals in the tournament.
Outside the pitch, Neymar’s charismatic personality and style attracted a huge following. He became a symbol of hope for Brazilian football, with many predicting that he would follow in the footsteps of legends like Pelé and Zico. By the time he left Santos in 2013, he had already won numerous individual awards, including the South American Footballer of the Year twice.
The Barcelona Move
In the summer of 2013, Neymar made one of the biggest moves of his career, signing with FC Barcelona in a transfer that shocked the football world. Barcelona paid a reported 57 million euros to sign Neymar.
Joining a club like Barcelona was not an easy task. The team was already filled with world-class talent like Messi, Iniesta, and Xavi, Suarez, etc. It was clear that Neymar’s style would fit perfectly with Barcelona’s famed tiki-taka football.
It didn’t take long for Neymar to forge a special connection with Messi and newly signed Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez. Together, the trio would become known as MSN, one of the most lethal attacking partnerships football had ever seen.
In the 2014-2015 season, MSN’s brilliance reached its peak. Barcelona dominated domestically and internationally, winning the coveted treble – The Copa del Rey, La Liga and UEFA Champions League.
In the Champions League final against Juventus, Neymar’s contribution was immense. He scored the third goal, securing Barcelona’s fifth Champions League title. But despite all the success on the field, cracks were starting to appear behind the scenes.
Neymar had achieved everything at Barcelona, but there was one thing he couldn’t escape. “The shadow of Lionel Messi”.
As brilliant as Neymar was, Barcelona was Messi’s team, and no one could take that away from him. For him to truly step out of Messi’s shadow and make his mark as the best in the world, he knew he had to make a bold decision.
The World’s Most Expensive Player
He shocked the football world by signing with Paris Saint-Germain in a record-breaking €222 million transfer. The highest transfer fee ever paid for a player at the time, little did he know, this decision would be the start of a turbulent chapter in his career.
At first, everything seemed to be falling into place. He immediately showcased his incredible skills, Scoring goals, providing assists, and dazzling the French league with his talent alongside the rising star Kylian Mbappe, who had also joined PSG in 2017.
PSG cruised to the league title that same year, and Neymar was named League One Player of the Year despite missing the last few months of the season due to injury.
Unfortunately, beneath the surface, cracks were beginning to form, and Neymar’s relationship with his teammates, particularly Cavani, became strained.
While Neymar was brought in as the team’s star, Mbappe rapidly developed into one of the best players in the world. By the time Neymar was sidelined with injuries and crucial Champions League ties, it was Mbappe who often carried PSG forward.
Despite the growing competition, Neymar and Mbappe initially maintained a seemingly good relationship on and off the pitch. Together, they led PSG to multiple domestic titles.
In 2021, Neymar’s world took another dramatic turn when Lionel Messi joined PSG after leaving Barcelona due to financial troubles at the club. The reunion with Messi sparked excitement, but it also placed Neymar in a familiar position.
He now found himself sharing the spotlight with both Messi and Mbappe. While the trio boasted immense attacking potential, the pressure was higher than ever for PSG to deliver in Europe.
Mbappe continued to rise, reports began to surface about disagreements between Neymar and Mbappe.
By the start of the 2022 season, the pressure on Neymar to deliver was immense, especially as it was a World Cup year. His performances in the early part of the season were impressive and fans hoped he would finally be able to stay fit and help PSG secure the elusive UEFA Champions League title.
Despite Neymar’s initial form, PSG’s Champions League journey once again ended in disappointment.
In the round of 16, PSG faced Real Madrid. PSG had a 1-0 aggregate lead going into the second leg, but a stunning comeback by Real Madrid saw them win 3-2, knocking PSG out of the competition. Yet another reminder of Neymar’s unfulfilled promise at PSG.
The 2022 World Cup
The biggest test of Neymar’s year came at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. This tournament was seen as his best chance to lead Brazil to their first World Cup title since 2002. However, Neymar’s World Cup journey, ended in heartbreak.
In the quarter-final match against Croatia, Neymar scored a stunning goal in extra time that appeared to have secured Brazil’s place in the semi-finals. Croatia quickly equalized, and the match went to penalties.
Unfortunately, Brazil lost the shootout and Neymar, who didn’t even take a penalty, was left devastated, knowing that another opportunity to solidify his legacy had passed him by.
While Neymar was struggling on the pitch, a vocal point of media attention in 2023. It was revealed that Neymar had cheated on his longtime girlfriend, Bruna Biancardi, while she was pregnant with their first child.
For many fans, this incident symbolized Neymar’s growing disconnect from the expectations placed on him as a footballer and a public figure.
Neymar Jr’s Career – How It Ended
By August 2023, Neymar made a shocking move to Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal. The move to Saudi Arabia was seen by many, as a clear sign that Neymar’s time at the top of European football was over.
In early 2024, he scored several important goals for Al-Hilal, reminding fans of his ability to produce moments of magic.
Neymar’s journey has been a mix of extraordinary talent, memorable moments, and unfulfilled potential. Despite the setbacks, he brought joy to millions of fans.
However, as the years roll on, Neymar’s career serves as a reminder that even the brightest stars, as well as the most talented in the world, can fade, not through lack of talent, but through circumstances beyond their control.
We hope Neymar Jr can pick up his career once again and do some more magic.
Thank You For Reading.