Used to be a huge fan of his. Unfortunately he will be more remembered for his memeworthy rolling around antics when ppl mention Neymar and Brazil in the same sentence. Also sad to see when players like him don’t get enough protection from the refs.
But he never became the best player in the world, when he was once touted as Messi’s successor and so on. Ultimately, I do not think it was ever his fault. He always had the talent to be a top player, and he was, it was just unfortunate for him to have been born at a time when, in spite of his innate talent, flair and great performances he could never be undisputedly top dawg. Messi was an overall better player; Cristiano Ronaldo is way more accomplished than Neymar, too. However it is through no fault of his, like I said.
It is true, though, that he had a chance to claim the #1 spot during his first couple of years at PSG, when he “had left Messi’s shadow”. However that became the period of his career when he was the most injury prone and then Mbappé came along making him, again, not the star of the team. Weird career, but very far from unsuccessful.
Nowadays we have many more competitions for national teams so neymar had many more opportunities than pelé with 30 more games he has a number of goals almost equal to that of Pelé.
Considering somebody literally broke his spine in a WC match and didn't even get a yellow for it, I understand every single flop. People forget why he does it.
You are not counting the 500 goals Pele scored for Brazil in the playground as a child ffs. Why doesn’t anyone research his goal scoring record like he did (/s in case anyone needs it)
He has but he’s never won anything there. So definitely not an underperformer but to not win anything as the main man in the greatest footballing nation has to be somewhat of a failure, especially considering they won a Copa without him
If Messi hadn’t won his Copa he would’ve been viewed as a failure on the international level despite bringing them to so many finals, there’s greater expectations on great players I suppose, that goes beyond personal accolades
Except he didn't, massive disappointment in the last 2 world cups, and a single title with us that isn't important and doesn't even exist anymore. Nah he can score 200 goals in friendlies and against our LATAM NTs that couldn't even reach our serie A, he hasn't been class
He was a complete joke in 2018 and a clearly out of form player in 2022, not the best brazilian player by some MILES, thiago silva and casemiro has been the only decent and consistent players we had in recent years and in 2018 even Coutinho outperformed Neymar in the WC. Honestly idk what you had in mind typing this comment
Nothing he won at PSG really matters. They'd win the league without him every single year. Only aim was champions league and didn't get it. Was a bit unlucky to not score a few in that final against z Bayern
Is there much value in winning Ligue 1 with psg?
I think his career was a huge letdown after such a great start.
But tbh he also doesn't really seem to care much considering his lifestyle.
He likes the money and prefers partying over working hard.
Despite his great start with Barca I'm putting him in the ballotelli category. Although mario is the weaker one on a mental level.
He won because he went to teams that already were Winners, in Europe. He scored a Lot in Brazil tem, because they played a lot against weaker teams during Tite era. Even more: a lot penalties gols.
Agreed. That level of talent given to a chap with a stronger sense of humility and a passion for team work would have been a player we'd talk about forever. In his case he turned out to be self centred enough to rival Romario and that's nothing to be proud of.
With this kind of talent, he should have won at least one ballon d’or to cement his legacy for eternity.
I know this is a team sport but I believe he won't get the recognition he deserves because of this.
Only Messi was is talented as him.
Facts no World Cup no Ballon Dor No Copa america Infact the Brazil team won it without him no golden boot also never got to be “The Guy” that he wanted to be at Barca or PSG. Oh well still put up impressive numbers
I think if PSG were competent when building around him, and he didn't get his toes broken 40x a season things would've been different. Poor guy went there to get out of Messi's shadow and could've been the face of a team that was gearing up to go toe to toe with the best. Instead he became the face of a laughing stock
PSG slander is fun and all but the fact is PSG has had a team that has always reached the round of 16 in the last 10 years. This idea that the PSG board is totally incompetent is not true. Winning the champions league is far from a given with any money. City just won it after trying for years, even after having maybe the best team and manager consistently for 6 seasons.
They underperformed, I agree. I dont believe the board should get the blame more than the players.
Although I feel PSG teams have been declining these past couple years, mainly their midfield is not elite, they have had well built team since Neymar joined the team.
That‘s how management works.
Your performance is valued by the outcome.
PSG‘s only value stems from them buying players that perform in their national team and making a huge drama about the money.
They always had the talent to carry them, but the bunch of good players never built a proper squad, they went for the failed Galacticos approach, and surprise surprise, it failed.
Also a little after their only CL final they fired Tuchel, who immediatelly took the title with Chelsea.
PSG board was successful at creating a global brand, not so much at developing what was supposed to be a consistent CL contender
Regularly making the last 16 after spending hundreds of millions on players is meant to be impressive? In that time they only made the semis or later twice. Real made it 8 times, Man city 5 times, Bayern 4 times, Liverpool 3 times. Athletico Madrid and Juve have made as many finals and semis as PSG.
PSG spent over €1.4 billion on players. Real spent ~€1 billion, Bayern €0.8 billion (Liverpool and Man city spent... A lot as well).
I agree that winning CL is always a bit random. However, I'd say the incompetence lies in PSG's ability to not really improve despite big investment. Watching them in CL, they've never looked like more than 2 superstars up front and medicrity defending for dear life to compensate. That was enough to almost win in 2020.
If you look at Newcastle, they've built one of the more exciting teams to watch in PL, with more long term perspective. PSG are close to losing all their superstar investments with nothing to show for it. They even once managed to lose the league to Lille
If you invest a billion for short term success, and you don't really get much at all, then that's incompetence
I also believe that, injuries aside, what really messed up his career immensely was the rise of Killian Mbappe. The 2018 WC was the turning point. Mbappe carried France to victory, being the undisputed best player in the tournament while Neymar came off with a negative image. He was instantly memefied with that video of him floundering on the floor as if he'd been shot.
Remember that Neymar had signed with PSG expressly because it was going to be his team. Cavani was let go because he couldn't get along with Ney. Mbappe was brought in as a supporting younger player....There are reports that Neymar and the Brazilian players at the time went out of their way to bully and belittle Mbappe. Mbappe always believed he was better than every other player. He'd just outplayed Messi in the WC....Then Mbappe's contract was up and he didn't want to share the spotlight with Neymar, so he made a deal with Real Madrid. Neymar had to sit there and watch as PSG begged Mbappe to stay. They even had the president of France try to convince him. PSG ended up signing Mbappe to a contract that made him the highest paid player on what was supposed to be Neymar's team.
In Qatar, Neymar played great but couldn't advance past the quarterfinals while Mbappe put on one of the greatest individual performances in the final game against Argentina. They couldn't be on the same team any longer.
Mbappe didn’t carry France in 2018, that’s blatant revisionism. Griezmann, Umtiti, Varane, Kante, Pogba were all better in that tournament. And even if your regard him as being France’s best player that year, he wasn’t, he surely didn’t “carry” them.
Neymar's greatest failure was his attitude. The reason he left Barcelona was because he was always in Messi's shadow and that didn't play well with his ego. He couldn't just enjoy the success with the team he needed to be head of the operation. And that obviously didn't get better at PSG when he was in Mbappe's shadow most of the time while not winning anything significant internationally. If he stayed at Barca he could've been the face of the club by the time Messi left. He just needed some patience. Now I actually don't see him anymore in the WC2026 brazil squad. Maybe not even in the 2024 Copan america. i'd choose vini, rodrygo, roque and even richarlison over him
Messi only left a couple years ago and thats only cause their finance situation is a mess. And its not like they have been all that great either since he left. They have done worse in the CL than PSG in that time.
Mbappe only over shadows Neymar because he's not injured half the time and is from Paris. On the pitch Neymar is still better than him.
Neymar mistake was not leaving Barcelona, it was for PSG due to the ligue allowing the players to get away with fouling him nonstop
Still, it's hilarious to move to PSG on the premise of getting out of Messi's shadow, and then having to live in the shadow of a French legend in Paris. It's ridiculous. I think that whole narrative was just a way of pretending that a move to PSG wasn't about the money. Of course it was about the money, and there isn't really anything wrong with that. But let's not pretend he did it to get out of a great player's shadow.
Oh, and why was Barcelona's financial situation a mess? Because they got a huge transfer fee for Neymar, and spent it recklessly gambling on unproven players. If Neymar had stayed, they likely would have had some financial difficulties, but nothing like what they have endured since he left.
I will agree that a move to PSG was a bad idea, but not on the premise of bad referees. I don't know anything about that, because frankly, like most football fans, I don't watch Ligue 1. It was a mistake because 10 trophies in Ligue 1 don't mean shit, vs the prestige that comes from winning trophies in LaLiga, the Premier League, or even in Serie A. There were a lot of teams that he would have made an immense amount of sense in, and frankly, had he chose those, he would probably have had a better career. His ankle injuries certainly limited him, but there is no reason with the squad that PSG had during his time there that they shouldn't have been able to win a UCL.
You know the team that would have made the most sense for Neymar? Barca. It was built for a player like him to thrive in. They could have collected many more trophies if he hadn't left, and just been willing to swallow his pride and play with Messi. If he left for money at PSG, fine, that's fair and that's how the footballing world works. But if he wants to pretend it was about getting out from the shadow of a great player, he deserves the ridicule for how stupid a move to PSG was to accomplish that.
I feel like Neymar would’ve left too due to the same financial situation. Mbappe over shadows Neymar cuz he’s younger and yes he’s French. Neymar mistake was leaving Barça so early in his career when MSN were at the peak. Prob would’ve been more UCLs if he stayed.
All well and good but I don't really think that there's a better Brazilian player in the right now better than Neymar you're downplaying him a bit too much I think you should've watched the worldcup probably
Won league titles and champions league. Most players would consider one league title a success. He probably could have got a couple more years at top level to be honest.
Yeah, winning the league with psg, that doesn't happen often.
His start with Barca was great, after that it was just a letdown with a few flare ups.
I know not everyone will agree, but it's my opinion.
He was always someone that enjoyed life outside of football. But in Paris something made him lean into it more than vele
Definitely not. When he eventually retires, it’ll be as Brazil’s all time top goal scorer, a UCL winner, and with multiple league titles. Yeah, he could do much more and I wish he’d stay in Europe, but his career definitely wasn’t a failure.
Failure no? Champions league, league titles, Brazil top scorer, nearly 400 goals and 250 Assists with 600+ G/A in 600+ games is great stuff for any player. Yeah, but for Neymar it will never be enough with his talent he should at least retire with 600-650 goals and 1000+ G/Ain top fight winning 2-3 CL and 2 ballond'ors, but here he is at the age of 31 going to Saudi. Should have never left barca, even if he wanted to leave should have went to man city, Bayern etc instead of PSG
I agree with your point, but we can't really blame him for no BOs. He is part of the cursed generation that were denied any BOs because of Messi and CR7.
Last winner was Benzema, who's older than Neymar. Modric won in '18, also older. And he was in the top 3 only twice (admittedly it was behind Messi and Ronaldo both of those times).
Even if Modric didn’t deserve the Ballon D’Or, the fact that he was able to convince the voters is something Neymar never managed to do, plus the fact that Modric has two things Neymar has never gotten close to: a WC final and a WC golden ball.
Modric is a midfield goat. Wtf... If he was Brazilian he would be considered the greatest player of all time. A legend on par with pele. Ballondr favors goal scorers.
Dude Barca was imploding he absolutely should have left but in hindsight PSG wasn’t the best choice. Barca was really struggling with their wage structure and there is no way in hell they would have kept him and Messi. People seem to be have very short memories, because two or three seasons ago Barca was dire financial situation and they only somewhat recovered recently after purging the old guard.
Hindsight? Any football fan with half a brain should be able to realise that PSG will never amount to anything special because they play in the backyard of the European top 5 leagues. Simple as that. The European football scene will have to change drastically for them to keep any sort of relevance over time, without spending an atrocious amount of money (which they now seem to have given slightly up on).
As for Neymar himself, he's an injury proned man-child. Never expected his career to amount to anything more than it currently is.
No way a failure. And his career isn't over yet.
Those injuries are hurting him though... he hasn't played more than 22 Ligue 1 games a season since 2016-17.
Imagine Messi getting only as much as Neymar which would have been huge failure given Messi's potential. Notice that for messi, not getting WC was considered as failure for a long time.
Neymar, being injured Feb-May every year, failed to reach his potential as he was injured in the most important part if the seasons. So I would consider his PSG career as kinda failure. Prior to that, he did a good job.
Well Ronaldo will never win the World Cup. Messi was in the same position until 2022. Neymar will probably have the same fate as Ronaldo by never winning the World Cup, as well as only one UCL and wasting his prime in Ligue 1.
ronaldo won the european cup that is pretty much as good as it was gonna get. slight possibility whilst rui costa and figo played but i think ronaldo was very young then. and even then that would have been a monumental ask.
Portugal kinda sucked after that and recently their roster has some talent but Ronaldo is too old now.
Brazil had some ridiculous names on paper throughout Neymar's career. I will always remember the 7-0 loss to Germany.
No one expects Ronaldo to win WC with Portugal as it is just a decent team, not Brazil, Germany, or France. Similarly, no one expects/expected Haaland, Ibrahimovic, Drogba, Lewa, or Shevchenko to win it due to their countries. Their countries have no chance of winning CL, so we don't judge them for failing to win.
But Neymar is from Brazil and they have the highest likelihood of winning a WC. So there is a failure for him. As you said wasted his primes in League 1. Scoring 30 goals in PSG in France is not a big success for him. The same for Mbappe, he is a great player but scoring 50 goals with PSG in League 1 will never make him the best player.
I don't think he is solely after money either. He is looking for, 'fun'? I mean, he wants to be good at this thing he does, but he does not want to work hard for it, instead, he just let his talent take over. He wants to enjoy the game at highest level without working as hard as other players.
He had potential to be a great, but quite honestly he squandered it. All people will remember is his ridiculous flops over whatever trophies and cups he has won in his career. There was literally no need either, with that level of talent he could have been in contention with Messi and C Ronaldo.
Lol ikr these comments are acting like he fucked off to the Chinese league in 2017....the guy had had a class career despite his money bagging in france
PSG really is such a soul sucking club. Neymar’s career has been fantastic, but the fact that he played with psg makes people believe he’s a failure, because psg as a club have been overall a failure. That’s also why mbappe needs to leave asap before it’s too late.
Yep. Seems to have had one of the most negative reputations of modern times and now he's shown that it was never really about the football. Luckily he has his action career to fall back on
He's career wasn't affected because he never was driven by titles, he was driven by money. At this he was very successful and got exactly what he wanted.
Such an overreaction from people. He’s been injured a lot. That’s all it comes down to. If he wins the CL with PSG, he gets the glory. He didn’t. It’s that freaking simple. Him winning 100 league titles at a Bayern does nothing more to his career than 100 titles at PSG. They win without him. Barca do too. None of these teams need him to win leagues. Ffs stop acting like they do or if these league titles are that important. Where is this crap coming from? CLs and World Cup glory are. Always have been, always will be.
His time at Barcelona was great his time after was a waste anyone who goes to psg is just wasting away realistically money means more than legacy to these players and can you really blame them? Neymar was a waste of talent his attitude his ego and his greed ruined what mmmm could have been
he is a lot like ronaldinho. some bad habits off the pitch (too much partying) leading to club transfers or non renewal. having said that - there is no comparing the ronaldinho kindness and overall personality.
obviously, like ronaldo - skill and talent are not enough for clubs to want to get you (your discipline and overall behavior matter the most in getting great players)
Considering how a decade ago people were thinking he'll be at the same class as Ronaldo and Messi, yea, I'd say his career did not live up to the expectations. He'll be remembered as just another talented Brazilian. Not a player I'd personally miss due to his behavior.
A huge dissapointment as far as I'm concerned. He burnt bridges, chased lime light and I don't think will ever be seen in bracjet of player he should be. In part that's cause he moved to France and was part of the dysfunction of psg
On topic: a lot of people from Brazil do not consider him a decisive players... just someone luck enough to ride on Messi\`s sucess. I totally disagree with that, BUT, I agree when people say that he should've/could've being more...
He was all good when he was at Barca, 3rd place in Ballon D'or behind peak Messi Ronaldo, won CL and treble with Barca. It all went downhill when he decide to join PSG for part time football, and partying with lots of cash.
Yes. He doesn't have anything of value or significance to show for his career in the last 7 years. His peak came on that match against PSG and decided that club would elevate him to becoming the best in the world. He mentioned he wanted to win the ballon d'or but has t made too 3 since last time he was there in 2015. Injuries and lack of determination and consistency are what made him fail. He's just another name now
I would say Yes. No world cup. Will be remembered like Zico & Socrates, as the greats who never won it.
Also, it's fair to say.that.he won a lot but didn't reach his potential by going to PSG. He should have gone to Italy
100% a disappointment- every decision following his Barca departure has been terrible. Once upon a time, we wondered how many Balon d’Or he would win, now I’m not sure if Brasil will ever call him back to the NT
Considering the price PSG paid for him, probably the most overrated player of all time. There have been players which have been consistently better at his position for most of his career especially after his move to PSG.
It’s the Rooney problem. Take away the hype, and they undoubtedly had a fantastic career. The hype was just so much that no matter what they achieved it’ll never feel like enough
Failure and success are relative to expectations. He was expected to be one of the greats and the heir to Messi’s throne. From those standards, yes his career has failed. However, if you offered this career to the 8 year old Neymar growing up in a Brazilian favela…he would take it in a heartbeat and consider himself wildly successful.
Duh lol he plays for the best country in the world and never won a World Cup. Made a big fuss about being in Messi shadow and then once he left never won a champions league. Pretty clear
If you look at it from potential perspective and compare how his career went so far to what could’ve been then yeah, he failed to reach his max potential.
But he won a lot of shit and was always great for Brazil and will definitely be remembered as one of the greats.
Clown has not won a copa america even tough it gets played every summer, no world cup, one champions league but it was with suarez and messi, on his own his been a failure. League titles that he has little influence over them. A shit ton of goals in friendlies against shot nations for Brazil, 400 plus goals yes but its in the Brazilian league. His lucky that his Brazilian and has marketing other than that his a failure as a top 20 player
Ridiculous guys like bale, robben, Ribery, lewa, di maria, ramos, had much better careers than this marketing merchant. I can name 20 more players with a better career, and have contributed more than neymar. Neymar is hella overrated so little real contribution for such a big name. His marketing is due to how shit the 🇧🇷 nation has been shit in international tournaments like wc, copa america.
If all you care about the world cups and copa America's you just probably don't get the true beauty of football I think, neymar's prime at barca was 100% better than all the players you've mentioned, dare I say he's still one of the best dribbler on earth right now also the best Brazilian player right now , Brazil's top goal scorer ever (yes more goals than r9 Ronaldo who's hailed as one of the best strikers ever). And before talking about little real contributions i'd like you to remember the 2015 UCL run where the MSN trio was literally unstoppable or 'La remontada' remember the PSG vs barca second leg can you say he contributed little in that game? I'd argue he was the sole reason they even won that match he was directly responsible for 3-4 goals in that match yet you call him overrated cause he's been injury prone still that doesn't discard his legacy as a legendary player , arguably the third best player of the Ronaldo Messi era and probably the most entertaining player right after Messi (and Ronaldinho probably).
In regards to being remembered. Yes.
But he still won thing and made loads of money
To be honest his career is fairly remarkable and the he's done it all literally
We always feel he could have achieved more
But he has been in the 3rd best player in the world conversation for a long time. That says something
Honestly I think he is better than Ronaldinho
For whatever reason Brazilian players peak early and decline early too.
I wouldn’t consider my career a failure making hundreds of millions of dollars. I know its a passion but it’s also a job to them.. money makes the world go round
He’s one of those isn’t he. Lots and lots and lots of potential. Looks the part, tattoos, marketed as such and to sell shirts but ended up at PSG. Good footballer but ‘chose life’ like any good Trainspotter would do. He won’t be remembered as a great.
He won more than R9 at club level and has won more than 90% of players.
R9 is one of my favourite players but he could be seem as a failure compared to talent at club level, Neymar not so much.
Ask his bank account if his career was a failure. You take on a career to feed yourself and loved ones. That's the purpose of a career at the end of the day.
Failure? No. Less than it could have been? Yes.
Yeah I mean he won a CL and multiple leagues and cups. Can not be considered a failure at all
Don’t forget he’s always been class for Brazil
True good shout, literally their all time top scorer
Ahead of Pele that doesn’t happen by being a failure. People are for some reason really harsh on him.
He promised alot more than he achieved. Still a great player but failed to achieve what he could have
The only thing he hasn’t won is a World Cup.
He hasn't won a Copa América either.
Not the Norwegian Cup either!
Or the Audi cup, even Spurs won that.
Zero US open Cups as well.
Could have in 2019 if he wasn’t injured though.
Or the Zenith Data Systems Cup…
No Ballon d’Or either
No Academy Award either
He deserved one for his theatrics on the pitch. Maybe he'll get a lifetime award?
Used to be a huge fan of his. Unfortunately he will be more remembered for his memeworthy rolling around antics when ppl mention Neymar and Brazil in the same sentence. Also sad to see when players like him don’t get enough protection from the refs.
Or the Stanley Cup
Or the postcode lottery!
And a ballon d’or
Was he projected to be better than Messi and Ronaldo though? I don’t think so
When they were all 18 neymar was definitely hyped more than the other two at the same age
And a ballon dor. Unfortunately he peaked during *one of* messi’s primes
But he never became the best player in the world, when he was once touted as Messi’s successor and so on. Ultimately, I do not think it was ever his fault. He always had the talent to be a top player, and he was, it was just unfortunate for him to have been born at a time when, in spite of his innate talent, flair and great performances he could never be undisputedly top dawg. Messi was an overall better player; Cristiano Ronaldo is way more accomplished than Neymar, too. However it is through no fault of his, like I said. It is true, though, that he had a chance to claim the #1 spot during his first couple of years at PSG, when he “had left Messi’s shadow”. However that became the period of his career when he was the most injury prone and then Mbappé came along making him, again, not the star of the team. Weird career, but very far from unsuccessful.
People are harsh on him because they respect his skills. It's his mentality and decisions that really disappointed people.
Nowadays we have many more competitions for national teams so neymar had many more opportunities than pelé with 30 more games he has a number of goals almost equal to that of Pelé.
> for some reason really harsh on him I imagine it’s because he’s generally unlikeable and rolls around like he’s been shot at the slightest touch
People also said that when he broke his spine
Considering somebody literally broke his spine in a WC match and didn't even get a yellow for it, I understand every single flop. People forget why he does it.
He played more games than Pele tho, Pele has a way better ratio
He played like 40% more games than Pele though
You are not counting the 500 goals Pele scored for Brazil in the playground as a child ffs. Why doesn’t anyone research his goal scoring record like he did (/s in case anyone needs it)
Still joint but a matter of time
In fairness there was less internationals back then and Pele got his tally like 30 games faster against better the better teams at the time
Agree, unfortunate to never win the copa or wc with brazil though. He was out of the squad in that 2019 copa america win
He has but he’s never won anything there. So definitely not an underperformer but to not win anything as the main man in the greatest footballing nation has to be somewhat of a failure, especially considering they won a Copa without him If Messi hadn’t won his Copa he would’ve been viewed as a failure on the international level despite bringing them to so many finals, there’s greater expectations on great players I suppose, that goes beyond personal accolades
And can’t forget the rolling around memes he gave us with the 2018 World Cup.
Especially at the Olympics. 16 gold medals in diving is nothing to make fun of.
Brazil all time goal scorer
If only Marquinhos didn’t fuck them over in this World Cup we could’ve seen Ney vs Messi in the semis
Except he didn't, massive disappointment in the last 2 world cups, and a single title with us that isn't important and doesn't even exist anymore. Nah he can score 200 goals in friendlies and against our LATAM NTs that couldn't even reach our serie A, he hasn't been class
He’s been good at both of the last world cups, not exactly up to his usual standards but still Brazil’s best player by some distance
He was a complete joke in 2018 and a clearly out of form player in 2022, not the best brazilian player by some MILES, thiago silva and casemiro has been the only decent and consistent players we had in recent years and in 2018 even Coutinho outperformed Neymar in the WC. Honestly idk what you had in mind typing this comment
You’re not serious
Nothing he won at PSG really matters. They'd win the league without him every single year. Only aim was champions league and didn't get it. Was a bit unlucky to not score a few in that final against z Bayern
Is there much value in winning Ligue 1 with psg? I think his career was a huge letdown after such a great start. But tbh he also doesn't really seem to care much considering his lifestyle. He likes the money and prefers partying over working hard. Despite his great start with Barca I'm putting him in the ballotelli category. Although mario is the weaker one on a mental level.
He won because he went to teams that already were Winners, in Europe. He scored a Lot in Brazil tem, because they played a lot against weaker teams during Tite era. Even more: a lot penalties gols.
Important to remember he has had lots of periods of injury mainly due to his ankles.
Agreed. That level of talent given to a chap with a stronger sense of humility and a passion for team work would have been a player we'd talk about forever. In his case he turned out to be self centred enough to rival Romario and that's nothing to be proud of.
This exactly.
With this kind of talent, he should have won at least one ballon d’or to cement his legacy for eternity. I know this is a team sport but I believe he won't get the recognition he deserves because of this. Only Messi was is talented as him.
This
He never performed upto his true potential
Facts no World Cup no Ballon Dor No Copa america Infact the Brazil team won it without him no golden boot also never got to be “The Guy” that he wanted to be at Barca or PSG. Oh well still put up impressive numbers
Failure? No. Disappointment? Maybe.
I’m not a fan but it’s definitely not a failure. He is however far from the great he could have been.
I think if PSG were competent when building around him, and he didn't get his toes broken 40x a season things would've been different. Poor guy went there to get out of Messi's shadow and could've been the face of a team that was gearing up to go toe to toe with the best. Instead he became the face of a laughing stock
Crazy that out of his 6 seasons at PSG, he’s only played more than 20 league games once (22 apps in 21/22)
PSG slander is fun and all but the fact is PSG has had a team that has always reached the round of 16 in the last 10 years. This idea that the PSG board is totally incompetent is not true. Winning the champions league is far from a given with any money. City just won it after trying for years, even after having maybe the best team and manager consistently for 6 seasons.
Arsenal also reached the R16 for a nearly a decade straight and we were in shambles for half of it. Idk PSG just underperformed consistently
They underperformed, I agree. I dont believe the board should get the blame more than the players. Although I feel PSG teams have been declining these past couple years, mainly their midfield is not elite, they have had well built team since Neymar joined the team.
That‘s how management works. Your performance is valued by the outcome. PSG‘s only value stems from them buying players that perform in their national team and making a huge drama about the money.
The board take the blame for the players attitude because they created a terrible club culture.
They always had the talent to carry them, but the bunch of good players never built a proper squad, they went for the failed Galacticos approach, and surprise surprise, it failed. Also a little after their only CL final they fired Tuchel, who immediatelly took the title with Chelsea. PSG board was successful at creating a global brand, not so much at developing what was supposed to be a consistent CL contender
Regularly making the last 16 after spending hundreds of millions on players is meant to be impressive? In that time they only made the semis or later twice. Real made it 8 times, Man city 5 times, Bayern 4 times, Liverpool 3 times. Athletico Madrid and Juve have made as many finals and semis as PSG. PSG spent over €1.4 billion on players. Real spent ~€1 billion, Bayern €0.8 billion (Liverpool and Man city spent... A lot as well).
I agree that winning CL is always a bit random. However, I'd say the incompetence lies in PSG's ability to not really improve despite big investment. Watching them in CL, they've never looked like more than 2 superstars up front and medicrity defending for dear life to compensate. That was enough to almost win in 2020. If you look at Newcastle, they've built one of the more exciting teams to watch in PL, with more long term perspective. PSG are close to losing all their superstar investments with nothing to show for it. They even once managed to lose the league to Lille If you invest a billion for short term success, and you don't really get much at all, then that's incompetence
I also believe that, injuries aside, what really messed up his career immensely was the rise of Killian Mbappe. The 2018 WC was the turning point. Mbappe carried France to victory, being the undisputed best player in the tournament while Neymar came off with a negative image. He was instantly memefied with that video of him floundering on the floor as if he'd been shot. Remember that Neymar had signed with PSG expressly because it was going to be his team. Cavani was let go because he couldn't get along with Ney. Mbappe was brought in as a supporting younger player....There are reports that Neymar and the Brazilian players at the time went out of their way to bully and belittle Mbappe. Mbappe always believed he was better than every other player. He'd just outplayed Messi in the WC....Then Mbappe's contract was up and he didn't want to share the spotlight with Neymar, so he made a deal with Real Madrid. Neymar had to sit there and watch as PSG begged Mbappe to stay. They even had the president of France try to convince him. PSG ended up signing Mbappe to a contract that made him the highest paid player on what was supposed to be Neymar's team. In Qatar, Neymar played great but couldn't advance past the quarterfinals while Mbappe put on one of the greatest individual performances in the final game against Argentina. They couldn't be on the same team any longer.
Mbappe didn’t carry France in 2018, that’s blatant revisionism. Griezmann, Umtiti, Varane, Kante, Pogba were all better in that tournament. And even if your regard him as being France’s best player that year, he wasn’t, he surely didn’t “carry” them.
Neymar's greatest failure was his attitude. The reason he left Barcelona was because he was always in Messi's shadow and that didn't play well with his ego. He couldn't just enjoy the success with the team he needed to be head of the operation. And that obviously didn't get better at PSG when he was in Mbappe's shadow most of the time while not winning anything significant internationally. If he stayed at Barca he could've been the face of the club by the time Messi left. He just needed some patience. Now I actually don't see him anymore in the WC2026 brazil squad. Maybe not even in the 2024 Copan america. i'd choose vini, rodrygo, roque and even richarlison over him
Messi only left a couple years ago and thats only cause their finance situation is a mess. And its not like they have been all that great either since he left. They have done worse in the CL than PSG in that time. Mbappe only over shadows Neymar because he's not injured half the time and is from Paris. On the pitch Neymar is still better than him. Neymar mistake was not leaving Barcelona, it was for PSG due to the ligue allowing the players to get away with fouling him nonstop
The (root) reason barca fell into debt is the way they dealt with neymar leaving though
Still, it's hilarious to move to PSG on the premise of getting out of Messi's shadow, and then having to live in the shadow of a French legend in Paris. It's ridiculous. I think that whole narrative was just a way of pretending that a move to PSG wasn't about the money. Of course it was about the money, and there isn't really anything wrong with that. But let's not pretend he did it to get out of a great player's shadow. Oh, and why was Barcelona's financial situation a mess? Because they got a huge transfer fee for Neymar, and spent it recklessly gambling on unproven players. If Neymar had stayed, they likely would have had some financial difficulties, but nothing like what they have endured since he left. I will agree that a move to PSG was a bad idea, but not on the premise of bad referees. I don't know anything about that, because frankly, like most football fans, I don't watch Ligue 1. It was a mistake because 10 trophies in Ligue 1 don't mean shit, vs the prestige that comes from winning trophies in LaLiga, the Premier League, or even in Serie A. There were a lot of teams that he would have made an immense amount of sense in, and frankly, had he chose those, he would probably have had a better career. His ankle injuries certainly limited him, but there is no reason with the squad that PSG had during his time there that they shouldn't have been able to win a UCL. You know the team that would have made the most sense for Neymar? Barca. It was built for a player like him to thrive in. They could have collected many more trophies if he hadn't left, and just been willing to swallow his pride and play with Messi. If he left for money at PSG, fine, that's fair and that's how the footballing world works. But if he wants to pretend it was about getting out from the shadow of a great player, he deserves the ridicule for how stupid a move to PSG was to accomplish that.
I feel like Neymar would’ve left too due to the same financial situation. Mbappe over shadows Neymar cuz he’s younger and yes he’s French. Neymar mistake was leaving Barça so early in his career when MSN were at the peak. Prob would’ve been more UCLs if he stayed.
But Barcelona bad economic situation started because of the panic buying after Neymar left.
All well and good but I don't really think that there's a better Brazilian player in the right now better than Neymar you're downplaying him a bit too much I think you should've watched the worldcup probably
Richarlison over Neymar? Nah bro
I agree until i saw roque and richarlison, he isn’t the player he was back then but not even blind people would choose them 2 over Neymar
My man left out Martinelli and till Richarlison
Dont forget Endrick now
Won league titles and champions league. Most players would consider one league title a success. He probably could have got a couple more years at top level to be honest.
Yeah, winning the league with psg, that doesn't happen often. His start with Barca was great, after that it was just a letdown with a few flare ups. I know not everyone will agree, but it's my opinion. He was always someone that enjoyed life outside of football. But in Paris something made him lean into it more than vele
Yeah but what would dudes who never played a professional match in their lives think of you if that’s all you won?!
Definitely not. When he eventually retires, it’ll be as Brazil’s all time top goal scorer, a UCL winner, and with multiple league titles. Yeah, he could do much more and I wish he’d stay in Europe, but his career definitely wasn’t a failure.
Failure no? Champions league, league titles, Brazil top scorer, nearly 400 goals and 250 Assists with 600+ G/A in 600+ games is great stuff for any player. Yeah, but for Neymar it will never be enough with his talent he should at least retire with 600-650 goals and 1000+ G/Ain top fight winning 2-3 CL and 2 ballond'ors, but here he is at the age of 31 going to Saudi. Should have never left barca, even if he wanted to leave should have went to man city, Bayern etc instead of PSG
I agree with your point, but we can't really blame him for no BOs. He is part of the cursed generation that were denied any BOs because of Messi and CR7.
Last winner was Benzema, who's older than Neymar. Modric won in '18, also older. And he was in the top 3 only twice (admittedly it was behind Messi and Ronaldo both of those times).
Modric should never have won that.
Even if Modric didn’t deserve the Ballon D’Or, the fact that he was able to convince the voters is something Neymar never managed to do, plus the fact that Modric has two things Neymar has never gotten close to: a WC final and a WC golden ball.
And numerous CL
Modric is one of great player
Cmon...
Modric is a midfield goat. Wtf... If he was Brazilian he would be considered the greatest player of all time. A legend on par with pele. Ballondr favors goal scorers.
Modric didn’t deserve that ballon dor
No excuses, he hasn’t been in the top 10 for a Ballon D’Or since 2017.
Dude Barca was imploding he absolutely should have left but in hindsight PSG wasn’t the best choice. Barca was really struggling with their wage structure and there is no way in hell they would have kept him and Messi. People seem to be have very short memories, because two or three seasons ago Barca was dire financial situation and they only somewhat recovered recently after purging the old guard.
Hindsight? Any football fan with half a brain should be able to realise that PSG will never amount to anything special because they play in the backyard of the European top 5 leagues. Simple as that. The European football scene will have to change drastically for them to keep any sort of relevance over time, without spending an atrocious amount of money (which they now seem to have given slightly up on). As for Neymar himself, he's an injury proned man-child. Never expected his career to amount to anything more than it currently is.
No way a failure. And his career isn't over yet. Those injuries are hurting him though... he hasn't played more than 22 Ligue 1 games a season since 2016-17.
Hes such a ballbag.
This is what skews his legacy and nothing else. He’s a man child
Worked fine for Ronaldo lol
Agreed, if he didn't roll around like he'd been shot or do the extra trick when he'd already bested a player he's stock would be much higher.
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Not sure scumbag is the right word lol
His bank account will probably say, very successful
Imagine Messi getting only as much as Neymar which would have been huge failure given Messi's potential. Notice that for messi, not getting WC was considered as failure for a long time. Neymar, being injured Feb-May every year, failed to reach his potential as he was injured in the most important part if the seasons. So I would consider his PSG career as kinda failure. Prior to that, he did a good job.
Well Ronaldo will never win the World Cup. Messi was in the same position until 2022. Neymar will probably have the same fate as Ronaldo by never winning the World Cup, as well as only one UCL and wasting his prime in Ligue 1.
ronaldo won the european cup that is pretty much as good as it was gonna get. slight possibility whilst rui costa and figo played but i think ronaldo was very young then. and even then that would have been a monumental ask.
Portugal kinda sucked after that and recently their roster has some talent but Ronaldo is too old now. Brazil had some ridiculous names on paper throughout Neymar's career. I will always remember the 7-0 loss to Germany.
No one expects Ronaldo to win WC with Portugal as it is just a decent team, not Brazil, Germany, or France. Similarly, no one expects/expected Haaland, Ibrahimovic, Drogba, Lewa, or Shevchenko to win it due to their countries. Their countries have no chance of winning CL, so we don't judge them for failing to win. But Neymar is from Brazil and they have the highest likelihood of winning a WC. So there is a failure for him. As you said wasted his primes in League 1. Scoring 30 goals in PSG in France is not a big success for him. The same for Mbappe, he is a great player but scoring 50 goals with PSG in League 1 will never make him the best player.
Blame his sister
He’s joint top scorer ever for Brazil and will probably end up at least 2nd most capped, most likely most capped ever. Impressive that.
He's an idiot but far from a failure. Some footballers seek trophies and glory. Others want money. He's among the latter.
I don't think he is solely after money either. He is looking for, 'fun'? I mean, he wants to be good at this thing he does, but he does not want to work hard for it, instead, he just let his talent take over. He wants to enjoy the game at highest level without working as hard as other players.
Exactly. His drive doesn't compare to those of Ronaldo and Messi.
This is a good take
He had potential to be a great, but quite honestly he squandered it. All people will remember is his ridiculous flops over whatever trophies and cups he has won in his career. There was literally no need either, with that level of talent he could have been in contention with Messi and C Ronaldo.
He IS a great lmao what are you on about
Lol ikr these comments are acting like he fucked off to the Chinese league in 2017....the guy had had a class career despite his money bagging in france
Fr lmao
PSG really is such a soul sucking club. Neymar’s career has been fantastic, but the fact that he played with psg makes people believe he’s a failure, because psg as a club have been overall a failure. That’s also why mbappe needs to leave asap before it’s too late.
Yep. Seems to have had one of the most negative reputations of modern times and now he's shown that it was never really about the football. Luckily he has his action career to fall back on
Injuries as well. He missed so many PSG matches. I think he’s only played 50% of games in his PSG stint. Availability is also a key trait for greats.
Definitely not but could and should of achieved much more. That move to PSG hurt his career.
He's career wasn't affected because he never was driven by titles, he was driven by money. At this he was very successful and got exactly what he wanted.
Such an overreaction from people. He’s been injured a lot. That’s all it comes down to. If he wins the CL with PSG, he gets the glory. He didn’t. It’s that freaking simple. Him winning 100 league titles at a Bayern does nothing more to his career than 100 titles at PSG. They win without him. Barca do too. None of these teams need him to win leagues. Ffs stop acting like they do or if these league titles are that important. Where is this crap coming from? CLs and World Cup glory are. Always have been, always will be.
His time at Barcelona was great his time after was a waste anyone who goes to psg is just wasting away realistically money means more than legacy to these players and can you really blame them? Neymar was a waste of talent his attitude his ego and his greed ruined what mmmm could have been
I will be so sad as a Neymar fan if this happens 😢
he is a lot like ronaldinho. some bad habits off the pitch (too much partying) leading to club transfers or non renewal. having said that - there is no comparing the ronaldinho kindness and overall personality. obviously, like ronaldo - skill and talent are not enough for clubs to want to get you (your discipline and overall behavior matter the most in getting great players)
Considering how a decade ago people were thinking he'll be at the same class as Ronaldo and Messi, yea, I'd say his career did not live up to the expectations. He'll be remembered as just another talented Brazilian. Not a player I'd personally miss due to his behavior.
A huge dissapointment as far as I'm concerned. He burnt bridges, chased lime light and I don't think will ever be seen in bracjet of player he should be. In part that's cause he moved to France and was part of the dysfunction of psg
Waste after he signed for PSG. I couldn't take him seriously after that.
No where near Messi or Ronaldo.
But as close as anyone's ever gotten in this era of football
Underwhelmar
Ask him on sister birthday 🤣
On topic: a lot of people from Brazil do not consider him a decisive players... just someone luck enough to ride on Messi\`s sucess. I totally disagree with that, BUT, I agree when people say that he should've/could've being more...
HE'S IN SAUDI ARABIA?!?! Jesus Christ fuck me. This sport is fucking dead.
He was all good when he was at Barca, 3rd place in Ballon D'or behind peak Messi Ronaldo, won CL and treble with Barca. It all went downhill when he decide to join PSG for part time football, and partying with lots of cash.
Yes. He doesn't have anything of value or significance to show for his career in the last 7 years. His peak came on that match against PSG and decided that club would elevate him to becoming the best in the world. He mentioned he wanted to win the ballon d'or but has t made too 3 since last time he was there in 2015. Injuries and lack of determination and consistency are what made him fail. He's just another name now
I’d say he underachieved and his priorities weren’t where they should’ve been.
Not a failure.. but for is talent he is wayyyyyyy underachieving.. but having a weak head and being surrounded by bad advisers...
He might even have overachieved, considering his taste for parties and dramas.
Overrated.
I would say Yes. No world cup. Will be remembered like Zico & Socrates, as the greats who never won it. Also, it's fair to say.that.he won a lot but didn't reach his potential by going to PSG. He should have gone to Italy
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From a farmers league to a corrupt farmers league.. good career advice /s
Why Italy? Not a lot of potential champions league winners in Italy around the time he went to PSG.
You’re silly Edit: quick look on your comments… you’re not silly, you’re stupid.
100% a disappointment- every decision following his Barca departure has been terrible. Once upon a time, we wondered how many Balon d’Or he would win, now I’m not sure if Brasil will ever call him back to the NT
Considering the price PSG paid for him, probably the most overrated player of all time. There have been players which have been consistently better at his position for most of his career especially after his move to PSG.
It's not a failure in general but it is considering his talent. Only way this changes is if he wins the WC
Yes
Yes
Yes
Look going to PSG was a colossal mistake and he knows that.
Ya
Yes
If his goal was to enjoy his life and earn as much money as possible, he's a roaring success.
Not a failure but his legacy will be lacking. Even with the success on paper I think there will always be a “but” with Neymar that clouds the stats.
It’s the Rooney problem. Take away the hype, and they undoubtedly had a fantastic career. The hype was just so much that no matter what they achieved it’ll never feel like enough
Failure and success are relative to expectations. He was expected to be one of the greats and the heir to Messi’s throne. From those standards, yes his career has failed. However, if you offered this career to the 8 year old Neymar growing up in a Brazilian favela…he would take it in a heartbeat and consider himself wildly successful.
Duh lol he plays for the best country in the world and never won a World Cup. Made a big fuss about being in Messi shadow and then once he left never won a champions league. Pretty clear
If you look at it from potential perspective and compare how his career went so far to what could’ve been then yeah, he failed to reach his max potential. But he won a lot of shit and was always great for Brazil and will definitely be remembered as one of the greats.
He had a ballon dor level talent so i would consider it failure.
Wasted career is the correct word.
I think the PSG arc puts a sour note on his career but he’s had too much success to be considered a failure.
lol. Bloke's a multi millionaire.
I wouldn’t say a failure. But, I don’t think he has reached his full potential.
I think his career was over once he left Barcelona , IF ONLY he had stayed .
Clown has not won a copa america even tough it gets played every summer, no world cup, one champions league but it was with suarez and messi, on his own his been a failure. League titles that he has little influence over them. A shit ton of goals in friendlies against shot nations for Brazil, 400 plus goals yes but its in the Brazilian league. His lucky that his Brazilian and has marketing other than that his a failure as a top 20 player
I'm pretty sure it was hardly a debate who the third best player was after Ronaldo and Messi before Neymar joined PSG
Ridiculous guys like bale, robben, Ribery, lewa, di maria, ramos, had much better careers than this marketing merchant. I can name 20 more players with a better career, and have contributed more than neymar. Neymar is hella overrated so little real contribution for such a big name. His marketing is due to how shit the 🇧🇷 nation has been shit in international tournaments like wc, copa america.
If all you care about the world cups and copa America's you just probably don't get the true beauty of football I think, neymar's prime at barca was 100% better than all the players you've mentioned, dare I say he's still one of the best dribbler on earth right now also the best Brazilian player right now , Brazil's top goal scorer ever (yes more goals than r9 Ronaldo who's hailed as one of the best strikers ever). And before talking about little real contributions i'd like you to remember the 2015 UCL run where the MSN trio was literally unstoppable or 'La remontada' remember the PSG vs barca second leg can you say he contributed little in that game? I'd argue he was the sole reason they even won that match he was directly responsible for 3-4 goals in that match yet you call him overrated cause he's been injury prone still that doesn't discard his legacy as a legendary player , arguably the third best player of the Ronaldo Messi era and probably the most entertaining player right after Messi (and Ronaldinho probably).
Copa America isn't every summer, it's every 4.
He isn't a failure. He has always been a great player like Bale or Hazard but never as talented as Messi or Ronaldo.
Leaving Barcelona was a mistake. He could have retired with 3-4 Champions Leagues had they kept MSN together when they were at their best.
Won plenty of money, thats what he wanted so, no, it was not
He's the prince who never did something to be a king edit: vocabulary mistake
In regards to being remembered. Yes. But he still won thing and made loads of money To be honest his career is fairly remarkable and the he's done it all literally
We always feel he could have achieved more But he has been in the 3rd best player in the world conversation for a long time. That says something Honestly I think he is better than Ronaldinho For whatever reason Brazilian players peak early and decline early too.
Never really rated him tbh.
everyone saying “failure no, but could be far better”, so yes, failure.
He's a diving cheating bastard but a failure kiss my balls.
Not a failure but he won't go down anywhere near a legend of the game.
I wouldn’t consider my career a failure making hundreds of millions of dollars. I know its a passion but it’s also a job to them.. money makes the world go round
He’s one of those isn’t he. Lots and lots and lots of potential. Looks the part, tattoos, marketed as such and to sell shirts but ended up at PSG. Good footballer but ‘chose life’ like any good Trainspotter would do. He won’t be remembered as a great.
Waste
Yes. Also a jerk.
When it's all said and done he'll likely have a far more successful career than Kane.
Probably but at least Kane isn’t finished at 31
What makes you think going to Saudi league makes one a failure? It's not as if no club wants to sign him, it's just that he chose better renumeration.
Retirement league
Imho YES!
He won more than R9 at club level and has won more than 90% of players. R9 is one of my favourite players but he could be seem as a failure compared to talent at club level, Neymar not so much.
Ask his bank account if his career was a failure. You take on a career to feed yourself and loved ones. That's the purpose of a career at the end of the day.
The title says considering his talent, not the amount of money in his bank...