WHAT HAPPENED?
The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward is now 33 years of age. Injury problems have started to catch up with him of late, with ACL damage leading to his lucrative deal at Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal being terminated.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
After becoming a free agent, Neymar returned to his roots at Santos. More time has been spent on the treatment table there but, after attracting more interest from Europe, he has extended his association with the club that launched his career through to the end of 2025.
GettyWHAT NEYMAR SAID
While plenty of questions have been asked of Neymar’s fitness and commitment to the game, he told wife Bruna Biancardi during a family interview: “What drives me is the love I still feel for football. The desire I feel to play, to be on the field, that's what drives me every day; to wake up, to train.
Next Match
“The love I feel for football will never end. It will stay with me for the rest of my life. At some point, the desire to play, because I can no longer do it, because I can no longer perform as I want to, will end ... As long as I still have the desire to play football, you'll have to share me, my love.”
DID YOU KNOW?
Neymar, who is Brazil’s all-time leading goalscorer, intends to grace the 2026 World Cup finals next summer. He added on the criticism that he has attracted over the course of an iconic career: “I can't control other people's thoughts. It's difficult to answer people who understand absolutely nothing about our lives...Judging is easy, but understanding what's behind it is difficult...I've spent my entire career a little sad because of this, because of people who don't know me talking about me and not just about football.
“I know I'm a good person, it's difficult to confront...I would like them to give more importance to what really matters: on the pitch. Nowadays, with the internet and social media, it's difficult for people to focus solely on the athlete himself.
“It's bad, sad, to be judged in a certain way, sometimes even hated by people who don't know me, who aren't part of my daily life, who don't know the effort I put in for myself and my family. It's difficult to stop and see on the internet what isn't reality. I have a strong mindset when it comes to the internet.
“I can look at it, but it doesn't hurt me, it doesn't hurt me mentally. My football career will end, my name will remain in history, but it will end, years will pass, other players and generations will come and go. I always say that the people who know me are what matter.”
Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?
Neymar may take on a new challenge at club level before heading to the next World Cup, with the South American superstar set to become a free agent again in the January transfer window.