1 month ago
21
Six consecutive 90 mins
©TM/IMAGO
Neymar was unquestionably one of the most talented players of his generation - arguably the most - but the jury remains split over whether he ever maximised his potential. For several years, Neymar was amongst the best players in the world but his decision to turn his back on European football for the unparalleled riches on offer in Saudi Arabia at 31 undoubtedly impacted his legacy. Moreover, some detractors were critical of his decision to leave Barcelona for PSG in the most expensive deal in history at €222 million.
Neymar, however, was outstanding in Paris with 197 goal contributions in 173 games but Ligue 1 isn’t held in the same regard as other top European leagues. The Brazilian was on track to achieve his dream of winning the Ballon d’Or at Barcelona - Neymar had 181 goals and assists in 186 games - but his ambitions of lifting that award effectively ended with his move to France. The 33-year-old holds some incredible records from his glittering career with his greatest achievement being Brazil’s record goalscorer, eclipsing Pelé. Injuries have severely disrupted Neymar’s career but could there be a fairytale ending with Seleção after returning to his boyhood club Santos?
Can Neymar enjoy a swansong in his career?
Neymar’s move to Al-Hilal was an unmitigated disaster from a footballing perspective as he only made seven appearances across 18 months due to injury. The Brazilian returned to his boyhood club Santos in January but a hamstring problem restricted his impact but there’s been positive signs in recent weeks. Santos’ record goalscorer has played the full 90 minutes, scoring three goals, in their last six Serie A games and it’s the first-time that he’s achieved that in four years. Neymar last played six consecutive 90 minutes at the end of the 2020/21 season with PSG when they lost out to Manchester City in the Champions League semi-finals. Could Neymar be over his recent injury problems and what are his motivations for the final few years of his career? We spoke to our Brazilian football expert Marcos Watts for the lowdown.
“I believe it's 99% related to the World Cup,” Watts proclaimed. “I think Neymar realised that after a few disappointing months in his return to Santos that it's now or never for Neymar to prove he deserves a spot in Carlo Ancelotti's World Cup squad. The Italian didn't include Neymar in his first squad as the Brazil manager and although Neymar was injured or coming back from an injury then, I think he saw it as a sign.
"He seems more dedicated into keeping his form going and his body fit, and has been less involved in controversies off the pitch - even though he got into a few heated discussions with Santos supporters and a journalist in the past weeks. Although it's very unlikely that we'll ever see Neymar fulfil his goal of winning the Ballon d'Or, ending his career as a World Cup winner with Brazil still seems like a very plausible achievement, with one last attempt at the 2026 World Cup coming up.”
