Neymar Junior: The dazzling Crown Prince of Brazil who failed to become King

Now 31, Neymar has decided to ply his trade in Saudi Arabia. We may see him again in Europe one day, and his kid's kids will be set for life, but how should we see the career of the mercurial would-be King?

The Saudi Arabian football revolution has been searching for its second superstar. Cristiano Ronaldo was the first, and after failed attempts to bring Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe to the Middle East, they had to settle for one of the greats of this generation with Neymar, who has signed with Al Hilal.

The lure of mind-boggling money is hard for most to turn down. We have seen players in their 20s like Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Ruben Neves and Allan Saint-Maximin make the move but it does feel like a shame that we won't be seeing a player of the ilk of Neymar play at the highest level for at least two years, especially when he surely has so much more to offer.

This isn't an article to criticise the Saudi Pro League nor is it one judging Neymar - I haven't been in a position in my life where I have been offered £2.5 million a week.

This is an article looking at the career of one of the most talented and entertaining footballers of the last 15 years, which included the highest of highs but, unfortunately, also too many of the lowest of lows.

THE KID FROM SANTOS

Neymar was just a kid when the whole world started to hear about his exploits in Brazil. You would often see his highlights packages go around social media. The 17-year-old with God-gifted talent (and a very noticeable haircut) was being spoken about as a once-in-a-generation footballer at Santos.

Blessed with extraordinary skills and wonderous dribbling ability, Brazil finally had the person to step into the shoes of the great Pele. He was touted as a future Ballon d'Or winner, something taken very seriously in the South American country. 

In just his second season, Neymar took Santos to success in the Campeonato Paulista, scoring 14 goals in 19 games on their way to the title. He ended the 2010 season with 42 goals in 60 games but there were already question marks over his attitude and tendency to, perhaps, go to ground easily... Surely, that wasn't to become a recurring pattern over the next 15 years?

After missing a penalty during the same season in the Copa do Brasil final - which they did actually win - manager Dorival Junior decided to take him off penalties duties during another match. 

Bad decision.

Neymar had a bit of a tantrum, as he proceeded to argue with his captain.

Dorival Junior wanted Neymar to be suspended but, in the end, the club sided with the player and sacked the manager. He eventually apologised but doubts had started to creep into the minds of many about his behaviour.

2011 was a big year for Neymar. He guided Santos to their first Copa Libertadores triumph since 1963 and was awarded Man of the Match in the final. Pele was in the last Santos side to win that title, as comparisons showed no signs of letting up.

They also reached the final of the FIFA Club World Cup, as Neymar scored in the semi-finals. However, they suffered a thumping 4-0 loss to his future club, Barcelona.

The accolades continued to pour in for the new superstar of Brazilian football. He was named the South American Footballer of the Year by a record margin, while also winning the FIFA Puskas Award for a goal against Flamengo that I'm sure absolutely everyone has seen on multiple occasions.

Neymar lit up Brazil for the next two years, as he retained his South American Footballer of the Year award in 2012. In 138 games for Santos, he scored 71 goals and provided 37 assists, and the next question was simple - Real Madrid or Barcelona?

BIG EUROPEAN MOVE

On June 3rd 2013, Neymar made the massive move to Europe as he joined Spanish giants Barcelona. He now had the perfect platform to achieve his goals and realise his dream of becoming the world's best player.

His debut season was very much him needing to adapt.

Barca themselves failed to win any of the three major trophies. However, in his first-ever El Clasico, he scored the opener and assisted the winner in a 2-1 victory over Real Madrid. He also scored a Champions League hat-trick against Celtic.

But the 2014/15 season was when he truly showed his greatness at the age of just 22.

Neymar formed one-third of the greatest front line in history, dovetailing with Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi.

It was a thing of beauty: one of the greatest entertainers and prestigious talents of all time, one of the greatest strikers of all time, and THE greatest of all time. Together, the trio scored 122 goals across all competitions. Unbridled footballing joy.

Neymar scored 39 goals in all competitions, including a goal in every match from the quarter-final stage onwards in the Champions League. Three goals against PSG, three goals against Bayern Munich, and a goal in the final against Juventus. He was the joint-highest goalscorer in the competition with 10 goals, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi. He was the first player not named Ronaldo or Messi to be the top scorer in the Champions League since Kaka during the 2006/07 season, while also becoming the first to score in the final of both the Champions League and Copa Libertadores.

It was also a historic campaign for Barcelona as they became the first club in history to win the Treble twice.

In 2015, Neymar finished third in the Ballon d'Or, behind two players I don't even need to name. But he was getting closer to the top spot. The world was at his feet at such a young age.

In the 2015/16 season, Barca won the domestic double, but the feared front three of 'MSN' had their best season. Combined, they scored 131 goals, breaking their own record for most goals scored by an attacking trio. Neymar hit the back of the net 31 times.

What stood out the most was a period towards the end of 2015 when Messi was out injured for six weeks. Suarez and Neymar continued to be phenomenal in his absence, and it looked like Barca barely missed him. The dynamic duo scored 17 goals between them, including a goal from Neymar against Villarreal that was nominated for the Puskas Award.

On November 21st 2015, Messi was returning from injury and was sat on the bench in El Clasico at the Bernabeu. Neymar was at his mercurial, majestic, mesmeric best, running the show as he scored and created a goal in a 4-0 win.

This kid from the streets of Brazil was already a man. He was becoming the player that everyone thought was indeed possible.

The 2016/17 season was less successful on a personal and team basis, with Barca winning just the Copa del Rey. Neymar scored his 105th - and, in the end, last goal for the club - in the final against Alaves.

In the Champions League, Barca were knocked out in the quarter-final stage at the hands of Juve but not before that very special night in Spain.

After losing the first leg against PSG in Paris 4-0, all hope looked lost. However, Barcelona cooked up one of the most sensational and spine-tingling comebacks in the history of football, winning the second leg 6-1.

Not many talk about it but Neymar was the architect of that miracle. He scored twice and provided the assist for Sergi Roberto's winner, as he was named Man of the Match.

One of the most incredible team and individual displays we have ever seen in the Champions League, further adding to the legend that was Neymar. 

In 2017, he yet again finished third in the Balon d'Or, behind those two.

His time in Spain wasn't all plain sailing, however. In the 2015 Copa del Rey final with Barca cruising to victory, Neymar attempted a rainbow flick by the corner flag against Athletic Bilbao, which caused a lot of anger amongst the opposition players and subsequently a bit of a bust-up. 

Deemed as showboating by many, he received criticism for his actions.

CAREER-DEFINING MOVE TO PARIS

What happened next was possibly the biggest decision Neymar ever made. After finishing third in the Balon d'Or on two separate occasions, a lot of talk around the world was that he would never be acknowledged as the world's best player in a team that was practically Messi's.

This clearly affected Neymar. He wanted to lead his own outfit. He wanted to be the one to get the credit when his side won the Champions League. He wanted to be viewed as the world's best player.

So when he was presented with the PSG project - their goal of winning the Champions League with a group of expensive players and Neymar at the forefront of it - he couldn't turn it down. 

So it was settled. He decided to leave Spain and move to France. PSG paid a record fee which still stands to this day of 222 million euros for him. It was a seismic transfer.

The Prince of Brazil had finally become King and he was poised to take his place, perched in his Parisian Palace.

But much like a former French monarch, Louis XIX, who reigned for a historically short stint of 20 minutes, Neymar was soon usurped in the same month. 

Later in August, a certain Kylian Mbappe rocked up into town, a true Parisian. Neymar's dream of having his own team was already becoming a nightmare. No longer was Neymar the main man - he was sharing that mantle with Mbappe.

Over the course of his next six years in Paris, there were constant reports of bickering and infighting between the pair.

In 2022, Neymar refused to let Mbappe take a penalty after he had missed one earlier in the game against Montpellier, with speculation rife that they had a fight in the dressing room afterwards. Two egos battling for the same throne - not exactly what Neymar wanted.

The year prior to that, Messi made the move to Paris himself. Neymar and Messi are known to be very close friends but the former had moved to get away from the Argentinean on a sporting basis. Now they were reunited.

Coupled with the tension between him and Mbappe, Neymar's stint in Paris didn't go as he would have expected in other respects as well. In the February of his debut season, he suffered a broken metatarsal which ended his campaign early.

He became extremely injury prone with ankle issues a consistent issue. When he managed to get on the pitch, his form was good, as PSG won five Ligue 1 titles in six years.

But the Champions League was where it mattered the most.

In six attempts in the Neymar era, PSG made it past the last 16 on just two occasions. Capitulations against Manchester United in 2018/19 and Real Madrid in 2020/21 were real low points for the club, as they failed to capture the European crown that they - and Neymar - so desperately desired.

Consequently, Neymar himself wasn't able to make much of an impact in the knockout rounds - besides the 2019/20 season.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the quarter-final stage and onward were played as single-match knockout ties at neutral venues in Lisbon during August. Neymar was utterly exceptional from this point on, gliding around the pitch as he helped take PSG to the final with a number of crucial assists against Atalanta and Leipzig.

However, they fell at the final hurdle, losing 1-0 to Bayern. Neymar was in tears as his dream of winning a Champions League at PSG was snatched away from him. 

PSG never became Neymar's team. And PSG never won the Champions League. We saw the best of Neymar in spurts, but unfortunately, spurts are all it was.

Controversy continued to surround him, though. He regularly received criticism for his exuberant and skilful style of play. Bizarrely in 2020, he was booked by the referee for doing a rainbow flick (again) as he deemed it to be showboating.

Additionally, after losing to Rennes in the Coupe de France final in 2019, Neymar punched a fan who was filming and insulting him. 

In the end, Neymar departed PSG on bad terms after refusing to play for the club again. 118 goals and 77 assists in 173 games make for immense reading. But it wasn't ever that straightforward for him.

Perhaps it was a fitting way for him to end his tenure in the City of Love. Al Hilal awaits.

NATIONAL TEAM DISAPPOINTMENT

Neymar's international career has also been far from easy. After being hailed as the man to bring the World Cup back to Brazilian shores, his first attempt came in 2014.

He was spectacular as he pretty much singlehandedly took Brazil to the quarters, scoring four goals and bagging the winning penalty in the shootout against Chile in the last 16. 

But heartbreakingly, in the last eight against Colombia, Neymar suffered a horrific injury after a disgusting challenge from Juan Zuniga which broke one of his vertebrae. It was tragic to see arguably the star of that World Cup have his tournament cut short.

Brazil went on to lose 7-1 in spectacular fashion to Germany in the semi-finals, but the emotion of missing Neymar seemed to take over before the contest even began, with players crying during the national anthem. With him, who knows if they would have won the tournament?

In 2018, Brazil were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Belgium. Neymar played well in that tournament, but all anyone could talk about was his theatrics - rolling about on the floor, loud screams when tackled, and constant trickery. It's fair to say that it wasn't for everyone.

During the 2022 World Cup, Neymar suffered ligament damage in his ankle in the second group stage match but made a miraculous recovery by the round of 16 where he scored a penalty in a 4-1 win over South Korea.

But the quarter-final stage provided more heartbreak for Neymar. He broke the deadlock in the 105th minute in extra time with a quite brilliant piece of magic and composure, which looked like the winner. However, Croatia equalised with four minutes to go and ended up winning on penalties. A crestfallen, tearful Neymar was becoming an all too familiar sight.

Brazil have been World Cup-less since 2002, and Neymar has so far, not been able to achieve what many Brazilians thought he would at international level.

By 2019, many were even beginning to speculate that perhaps they were a better, more balanced team without him.

That year, Brazil won their first Copa America in 12 years - without Neymar in the team, who was out with ankle ligament damage. Many attributed that to the fact that they were playing as a team, rather than relying on the individual quality of Neymar.

Two years later, Brazil failed to retain their crown, losing in the final to arch-rivals Argentina. Neymar was excellent throughout, but alas, had nothing to show for it.

Neymar is currently the joint-leading goalscorer in national team history with 77 goals - the same as Pele. He will inevitably become the outright leader but until he wins a major trophy for his country, it'll all feel incomplete.

HIS LEGACY

Neymar should go down as a legend of the game already. He was part of the greatest front three in history and has consistently (when fit) performed at an obscenely high level. However, it must be said that we also expected more of him.

We wanted to see him do more for PSG in Europe. Besides the COVID-affected Champions League run, we rarely saw him at his best in that competition.

We wanted to see him perform at his peak for far more than just the three or four seasons that he actually did.

In fact, I think most wanted to see him stay at Barcelona. In a less toxic environment, he would have been able to flourish more. Messi wouldn't have been around forever and there would have come a point where he could have taken up the mantle and made Barcelona his own team.

However, his desperation for individual glory swayed him to move to Paris. Will he regret that? Maybe. But at the time, he must have believed that was right.

He was unquestionably one of the best three footballers in the world for at least a three-year spell. And he is also the last real great entertainer of the sport. You don't make players like him anymore - someone who can perform so incredibly but also be so expressive and eccentric at the same time.

Perhaps that, in part, is also his legacy - someone who inspired an entire nation and gave them hope, put a smile on the faces of football fans everywhere as they sat down just to watch him take the field.

Not everyone liked him though. Seen as a showboater and a diver by many, there were a fair few who never warmed to him. He could indeed frustrate, but some of the criticism was unjust and over the top.

lt is due to a difference in cultures too. The English never enjoyed Neymar, further emphasised by their outrage with the Brazilian team's celebrations during the last World Cup. Where Neymar is from, he finds joy in expressing himself with skill and dance, but elsewhere that is not the case. Potentially another factor as to why Neymar didn't get the respect he merited from some.

But don't forget - he still has time on his side. Many reports state that he wanted to move to Barca from PSG this summer but the Spanish club couldn't afford him. He could very much have his eyes on a return to his former club in two years.

A Messi-less Barcelona with Neymar leading them? Isn't that what he always craved?

He will have one final attempt to clinch World Cup glory in 2026, too. Who knows, in three years, we may be speaking of a two-time Champions League-winning, World Cup-winning, Ballon d'Or-winning Neymar.

At this moment in time, though, he has not hit the wonderous heights and achieved the things that were expected of him and that is a great shame. However, his legacy stretches far beyond just what he has won and the heights he has hit.

The Crown Prince of Brazil is still standing, watching, waiting to take his throne. That's all he might ever do but you know what, maybe that's okay, too.