The Rise and Fall of a Prince who never became King

The player that everyone once wanted to be. Mr 'Joga Bonito' himself. An integral part of one of if not the best attacking trios in football history. Neymar Jr is the name, yet his legacy is left as a highlight reel. Where did it all go wrong for the Brazillian and is there still time to reach the levels we once knew and adored?

A Boy from Brazil

Neymar Junior developed his reputation in Santos, making his professional debut at the age of 17. Yet, it was in the 2011 season when heads began to turn, and turn I don't say lightly. Individual honours included the South American Footballer of the Year and the FIFA Puskas Award for his solo goal vs Ronaldinho's Flamengo side, watching on as his disciple introduced himself to the world.

We won’t forget when Neymar finished in the Top 10 for the Ballon d’Or while playing for Santos 😳💪🇧🇷

👕 60 Games

⚽️ 31 Goals
🅰️ 11 Assists
🏆 FIFA Puskás Award
🥇 Best Player in South America

🔢 Top 10 of the Ballon d'Or

Take us back to 2011 Neymar 🥹 pic.twitter.com/KKVgbNbuP2

— OneFootball (@OneFootball) November 2, 2025

A Call from Spain

A few more trophy-filled seasons in Brazil, and it came with no great surprise that interest was being shown in the teenage sensation. Subject to a tax scandal that led to the resignation of former club president Sandro Rosell (at least it was only a one-time occasion, right?), FC Barcelona signed Neymar from Santos in 2013 for a reported fee of €57.1 million. What followed would be four seasons of football gold, the formation of 'MSN' and countless Twitter compilations that you would have on repeat over and over again.

On a personal note, the Brazilian took La Liga by storm, with seventeen goal contributions in twenty-six appearances, as well as appearing and scoring four goals in five games at the 2014 World Cup before injury struck. The following season, Barcelona would go on to win the La Liga, Copa del Rey and UCL treble, spearheaded by the greatest attack in world football.

The MSN frontline during the 2014-17 period was insane. Looking back, it was a total privilege to watch.

🔹 Messi: 153 goals, 66 assists
🔹 Suárez: 121 goals, 59 assists
🔹 Neymar: 90 goals, 46 assists

That's a total of 535 goal contributions… crazy numbers. pic.twitter.com/7mFUJFS0Ao

— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) January 24, 2023

Neymar earned a career-high finish of third place in the Ballon d'Or nominations for that year, only succeeded by Messi and Ronaldo, who had their own personal battle at the top for years on end.

World Record Move

In the peak of his career, with money being thrown in football like there was no tomorrow, PSG activated the 222 million euro release clause in Neymar's contract, and he officially joined the French giants in 2017 to become the most expensive player in football history, a record which still stands to this day.

Having been promised the star role in the side, alongside a shedload of money, PSG had aspirations of a first European title, and shortly after the Brazilian's arrival, the incoming of Kylian Mbappe made this aspiration an almost assured reality. Neymar didn't waste any time in proving value for his money, scoring 28 goals in his first 30 games.

However, it was here where the cracks first began to show for a player once with the world at his feet - he slowly became riddled with injuries, suffered a heartwrenching UCL final defeat, and left fans frustrated by an ego that overshadowed his talent on the pitch.

Last season during a Ligue 1 match at half-time, a first team starter came across Neymar, who was in tears in the restroom.

A person close to the club: “He was surprised to see him (Neymar) like that. Neymar told him (a first team starter) that no one understood him.” 🇧🇷😕

From… pic.twitter.com/qUkPe1gN3W

— PSG Report (@PSG_Report) April 12, 2024

Despite ramping up impressive numbers during his time in France, the quest for European glory was never completed, and fans were left wondering what could've been. Instead, background tensions amplified bad feelings between the player and the club, as Neymar had missed over 100 matches due to repeated ankle and metatarsal injuries.

After six seasons with the club, Neymar transferred to Al Hilal for €90 million in 2023, a transfer that would go down in the history books for all of the wrong reasons.

A Shadow of the Star

It was a pretty heavy price to pay for the Saudi side to see their star make just seven appearances across two seasons, not to mention the $100 million per year before bonuses going towards quite the party for his sister's birthday.

Even they have had enough with his antics and terminated the contract in January 2025.

I guess it was quite fitting that the next move would be to return to where it all began, especially if that meant reigniting the flame that once lived in the boy from São Paulo.

🚨 OFFICIEL ! 𝗡𝗘𝗬𝗠𝗔𝗥 🇧🇷 𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗢𝗡𝗖𝗘 𝗦𝗢𝗡 𝗥𝗘𝗧𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗔̀ 𝗦𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗢𝗦 ! 🤍🖤

pic.twitter.com/kdzFQW2R7j

— Actu Foot (@ActuFoot_) January 30, 2025

Inadvertently, this career move had the opposite, detrimental effect. The fanbase that once adored their wonderkid are now shouting from the stands as the club slips dangerously closer to relegation. A demotion would certainly be something different to add to the resume.

Is there still time?

As the 2026 World Cup looms ahead and Brazil having secured their spot (believe it or not) in the competition, will Neymar be able to play his part again?