The former Barcelona and PSG star still hopes to play for Brazil.
Neymar was rightfully considered one of the main talents of the early 21st century, but he never managed to rank with the greatest players of the era – Messi and Ronaldo. An abundance of injuries, an incorrect attitude towards football and controversial decisions did not allow him to fully realize his enormous potential.
Now the 33-year-old striker plays in his home country for Santos and intends to be in the Brazilian national team’s squad for the 2026 World Cup. Six months before the start of the tournament, this seems like a pipe dream.
The best period in Neymar’s career remains his performance for Barcelona, which he left in the summer of 2017. His decision to join PSG for a record €222 million was motivated by a desire to step out of Messi’s shadow, but Neymar ultimately became a shadow of himself. He never became a legend in Paris, although he won five league titles, reached the Champions League final and scored 118 goals. At the end of Ney’s performances for the French club, the management expressed dissatisfaction with his attitude to business. The striker was criticized by the press and booed by fans, which ultimately became the main reason to give up everything and go to the Middle East.
“I was sad because of the way the fans treated me, they wanted to invade my home, insult me or hit me. For me they crossed all boundaries. I just wasn’t happy in Paris anymore. The club and coach no longer wanted me on the team. They already talked to me about it, so I had to make a decision,” Neymar later explained.
Another fateful decision brought the Brazilian a lot of money, but hardly made him happy. In terms of price/result, the transfer to Al-Hilal can easily be considered the worst in history. The Saudis paid 90 million euros for the star forward and gave him a two-year contract with a salary of 100 million euros per year. Shortly after the transfer, Neymar suffered a torn cruciate ligament, missed a year, and ultimately managed to score only one goal for the new team.
The decision to terminate the contract early at the end of 2024 and 12 years later to return to his native Santos looked like a desperate attempt to save the rest of his career. In 2013, he left this club for Europe as a future superstar and probable winner of several Ballon d’Or, and returned as a downed pilot, tormented by injuries.
A new injury was not long in coming. Shortly after his return, Neymar injured his hamstring, fueling rumors of an imminent retirement. Even the most devoted fans of the football player no longer believed that he was still capable of anything. Only closer to the summer of 2025 did the captain of Santos manage to recover, and in June he scored the first goal in the championship. In total, in the first eight matches of the Brazilian league after his return, he scored only one goal. Such statistics only confirmed the assumptions that the old Neymar should no longer be expected on the field.
The real drama with a happy ending took place towards the end of the year. The great Santos, who is primarily associated not even with Neymar, but with Pele, found himself in the relegation zone. To save the club, Neymar refused to undergo surgery due to another injury – this time his knee was seriously bothering him. The striker decided to finish the season on painkillers to help the team avoid shame. As a result, largely thanks to their captain, Santos managed to escape, and Neymar scored five goals in five matches at the end of the championship. In total, he scored 11 goals in 28 matches for his native club in 2025.
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The striker’s contract with Santos, who will turn 34 in a month and a half, expires at the end of December. So far there is no news about his extension, but from the words of Neymar himself it follows that he would like to remain in the team
— I don’t know anything about my future yet. I really don’t know. I need to rest after the season. Give me a few days to switch off. Then I’ll make a decision. I can say for sure that Santos always remains my priority,” the Brazilian noted in early December.
Neymar played his last match for the Brazilian national team in October 2023, shortly before the rupture of the “crosses”. A month earlier, he scored his last goal for the national team, scoring in the opening game of the 2026 World Cup qualifying game against Bolivia (5:1).
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The other day, Neymar surprised the public with a bold statement, which the famous insider Fabrizio Romano published on his social networks.
“We will do everything possible and impossible to bring the World Cup to Brazil. In July you will be able to hold me accountable for my words. Help us, Carlo Ancelotti! If we reach the final… I promise I will score a goal in this match,” Neymar said.
It is still difficult to take such words seriously. In his best years, Neymar was the leader of the national team, with which he took part in three World Cups. The best result was a home tournament in 2014, which turned into a personal tragedy for Ney. The leader dragged the team to the semifinals, but due to a terrible spinal injury in the game with Colombia, he was unable to take part in the semifinals, which ended in an epic defeat by Germany (1:7). At the next two tournaments in Russia and Qatar, everything ended at the quarterfinal stage for Neymar and his team.
Now, plagued by injuries, Neymar does not seem to be a real assistant for the Brazilian national team. His statistics and physical condition do not give Carlo Ancelotti a reason to call up a player who last demonstrated his true level more than two years ago. In addition, in Santos, Neymar retrained as an attacking midfielder and most often played in the “ten” position. In Ancelotti’s team, this role is played by the much more efficient Matheus Cunha from Manchester United. On the flanks, with Vinicius, Raphinha, Martinelli, Estevao, Rodrigo and Luis Enrique, the competition is even stronger.
Neymar’s latest statement suggests that the ex-Barcelona star has lost touch with reality a little, and it’s not just because Brazil haven’t been seen in a World Cup final since 2002. In his current state, he is at most suitable for the role of the national team’s mascot. Only if he manages to get into optimal shape in the coming months, start scoring regularly and stay injury-free until June, perhaps Ancelotti will change his attitude towards one of the most talented Brazilians in history.
Source: Sportbox
Thomas Astudillo is a sports journalist and author who writes for Sportish. He has a deep love and knowledge of sports, and is known for his engaging and informative writing on the latest sports news and events.
Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe was spotted in the stands of the Africa Cup of Nations match between Morocco and Mali.
The Frenchman was wearing his partner and ex-partner’s t-shirt PSG Ashraf Hakimiwho plays for the Moroccans.
The Morocco-Mali match was played on Friday evening, ending 1-1. After two rounds, Morocco leads group A with 4 points.
Source: Soccer Ru
I’m a sports enthusiast and journalist who has worked in the news industry for over 8 years. I currently work as an author at Sportish and my work focuses mainly on sports news.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola he told how he spent Christmas, which in the Catholic world was celebrated on December 25th.
When asked if he could rest, the Spaniard replied:
Decidedly. I gained four or five kilograms from the food I ate and the drinks I drank.
Source: Soccer Ru
I’m a sports enthusiast and journalist who has worked in the news industry for over 8 years. I currently work as an author at Sportish and my work focuses mainly on sports news.
Discussion of a possible tightening of the limit for foreign players in the Russian Premier League (RPL) is not finished yet. The president of the Russian Football Federation told journalists this (RFU) Alexander Diukov.
The Ministry of Sports proposes to tighten the limit for foreign players by 2028 according to the “10 foreign players in the application, 5 on the field” scheme.
“The Ministry gave the football community, experts and specialists the opportunity to talk openly about this issue. As far as I understand, the discussion process continues,” Dyukov said.
According to the current limit, clubs RPL can include 13 foreign players in the application and release 8 foreign players on the field. In September, the Russian Football Federation said that the current limit allows for the first time to increase the playing time of young players to 18%.
Source: Soccer Ru
I’m a sports enthusiast and journalist who has worked in the news industry for over 8 years. I currently work as an author at Sportish and my work focuses mainly on sports news.
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