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From Santos to the World: Neymar's Journey is football's greatest "Could Have Been"

In this article, we will explore the journey of Brazilian star Neymar Jr., who was destined to be one of the greatest footballers ever but remained as football's greatest "Could Have Been."

Soumit BhattacharyaJanuary 29, 2025 at 11:49 AM • 9 min read
From Santos to the World: Neymar's Journey is football's greatest "Could Have Been"
In this article, we will explore the journey of Brazilian star Neymar Jr., who was destined to be one of the greatest footballers ever but remained as football's greatest "Could Have Been."

Neymar Jr. and Al-Hilal have mutually parted ways, as the Saudi Arabian side announced yesterday issuing a statement that "Al-Hilal Club Company and Neymar Jr. have agreed to terminate their contractual relationship by mutual consent." 

Neymar has also posted an emotional message to the Al-Hilal fans and the club on his socials, thanking them for the memories in Saudi Arabia. 

The 32-year-old Brazilian is reportedly set for a sensational homecoming to Santos FC, where he spent his boyhood and became a household name during his early days before entering a rollercoaster ride in European football. 

Neymar is often regarded as one of the greatest players who could not live up to their potential. He is also widely debated as the greatest footballer who never won a Ballon d'Or. Now, Neymar's reported homecoming to the roots is making fans teary and also leaving them in despair, is he the football's greatest "Could Have Been"? 

Read Also | Neymar back to Santos? Looks like a homecoming!

The ascendence to glory and gloom: Neymar's journey from Santos to European football

From Santos to the World: Neymar's Journey is football's greatest "Could Have Been"-sportzpoint.com
Neymar in Santos, 2012.

The little boy who started to nurture his footballing skills in the streets of São Paulo caught the attention of the scouts from the renowned Brazilian football club Santos FC. It was in 2003 when Neymar Da Silva Santos Jr., aged only 11, entered the Santos Academy's premises as the new inductee to the youth team.

Cut to the year 2009. After showcasing his immense technical ability, and pure Brazilian-style of footballing skills across the youth ranks of Santos, Neymar earned his debut for the Santos senior team at the age of only 17.

Over the next four years, Neymar Jr. bagged an impressive tally of 136 goals and 64 assists in 225 appearances across all competitions. The young Brazilian played an integral part in Santos' victorious 2010-11 Copa Libertadores campaign and in winning the 2010 Brazilian Cup as well. 

Neymar Jr. stormed into the headlines of football discussions worldwide, regarding him as the heir of the likes of Kaka and Ronaldinho in the Brazil national team. He was also named the 2012 South American Footballer of the Year, solidifying his stature as the most promising talent at that time.

However, it was in 2011 when the top European clubs started monitoring him closely. Spanish giants Real Madrid and English side Chelsea had a strong interest in signing Neymar in the upcoming days. But it was FC Barcelona who secured the signing of Neymar in 2013, paying a mammoth transfer package of €88 million to Santos. 

Neymar's move to Barca was no less controversial, as revealed by football writers Alex Duff and Tariq Panja. In their book "Football’s Secret Trade", they revealed the thrilling backstory of Neymar's signing for Barcelona. 

Although Real Madrid seemed to be Neymar's most likely destination to commence his European career, the Brazilian himself signed a pre-contract agreement with Barcelona to join them in the upcoming transfer window. Even his club Santos was kept in darkness about the agreement.

However, as the curtain was finally up, Neymar was officially presented to the fans in a jam-packed Camp Nou on June 3rd, 2013. The Brazilian was paired up with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, forming one of the greatest trios in football history, the 'MSN'.

Read Also | MSN vs BBC: Rivalry of the greatest trios in football history

Neymar played a huge part in Barcelona's UEFA Champions League winning campaign in 2014-15, scoring the highest season tally of 10 goals along with scoring the insurance goal in the final. That season, Neymar played a prominent part in Barcelona's treble-winning run as well, quoting himself as one of the best footballers at that moment.

The MSN trio also ended the season with a staggering 122 goals, the most in a season for an attacking trio in Spanish football history. Neymar registered 39 goals across all competitions.

Five Final Truths: Barcelona's MSN of Messi, Suarez and Neymar prove themselves greatest trio ever - Eurosport
MSN: Messi, Suarez and Neymar. (Image Credit | Eurosport)

However, the four years he played for Barcelona brought him plenty of personal honours and team accolades, but Neymar did not come close to winning the Ballon d'Or. After finishing in seventh place in 2014 and third place in 2015, Neymar did not have much to contest in the winner's debate.

La Remontada and the pathway to exit

From Santos to the World: Neymar's Journey is football's greatest "Could Have Been"-sportzpoint.com
Neymar in the Remontada game in 2017. (Image Credit | Eurosport)

Barcelona's historic 6-1 victory against Paris Saint-Germain in the UCL 2016-17 pre-quarterfinal second leg, which was termed as 'La Remontada', fuelled the fire of Neymar leaving Barcelona. After losing the first leg by 0-4 against the French opponent, Neymar made a comment that ignited the hope of the Barca fans.

Neymar wrote, "As long as there’s a 1% chance, we’ll have 99% faith" on his socials following the 0-4 crushing in Paris. The Brazilian went on to keep his word, orchestrating the Barcelona attacks for the whole game while also scoring two goals and providing one assist to the sixth goal that won Barcelona the game.

However, even after Neymar rescued the team from a distressing situation, it was an iconic image of Lionel Messi leaping with the fans that made the headlines as well became the image of the game. Since this time, Neymar reportedly felt the urge to get out of the stature of Lionel Messi.

Neymar's decision to leave Barcelona and join Paris Saint-Germain was not only driven by his desire to emerge from Messi's shadow but also to embrace the opportunity to shine as the sole star player, bolstering his path to winning the Ballon d'Or.

From Santos to the World: Neymar's Journey is football's greatest "Could Have Been"-sportzpoint.com
PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi and Neymar in 2017. (Image Credit | the Guardian)

PSG completed a huge €222 million transfer to rope in Neymar, marking this as the most expensive transfer of all time to date. Although the relationship between him and Barcelona fans was damaged after his unexpected transfer to PSG, Neymar took the center-stage at the French club, leading the side from the front.

Read Also | 5 Craziest football transfer of all-time

Departure from PSG

From Santos to the World: Neymar's Journey is football's greatest "Could Have Been"-sportzpoint.com
UCL final, 2020. (Image Credit | GOAL)

However, what was naturally expected to be a cakewalk; turned into a rocky road for Neymar. Frequent injuries and several legal scrutinies made his stint at the Parisian club full of ups and downs. He accumulated 77 goals and 49 assists in 173 matches for PSG, but only came close to winning the Champions League in 2020, but lost to Bayern Munich in the final.

Sadly, after leaving Barcelona, Neymar never made it to the Ballon d'Or top ten, let alone winning it. His brawls with his PSG teammates from time to time made his stay at PSG tumultuous, and he ultimately failed to justify the price tag. Across his six-year stint at PSG, Neymar missed 119 games in total due to injuries.

Although he rejoined Lionel Messi at PSG in 2021 and formed the trident of MNM along with another superstar, Kylian Mbappe, the trio also failed to live up to the expectations.

The relationship between Neymar, PSG, and PSG fans completely broke down after he suffered another injury in March 2023 as the supporters demanded the departure of Neymar in various on-street protests. 

Exit from European football

From Santos to the World: Neymar's Journey is football's greatest "Could Have Been"-sportzpoint.com
Neymar's official Al-Hilal presentation. (Image Credit | X)

PSG management finally ran out of patience and decided to sell Neymar in August 2023, informing him that he was not in the overhaul plan for them.

Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal paid a lucrative two-year contract to the Brazilian as he signed for them on a transfer fee of €90 million, making him the most expensive purchase in the Saudi Pro League.

Just two months after signing, he suffered a devastating ACL injury while representing Brazil in a World Cup qualifier. After several months of recovery, he returned to action in late 2024 but was quickly sidelined again due to a hamstring injury.

From Santos to the World: Neymar's Journey is football's greatest "Could Have Been"-sportzpoint.com

Overall, he made only seven appearances for the Saudi club, scoring just once in an AFC Champions League match against Nassaji Mazandaran. These injuries, combined with fitness concerns, led to mutual frustration as Al-Hilal have officially announced the termination of the contract after almost two years after the star signing. 

Neymar has reportedly agreed to a significant salary reduction to join Santos, forfeiting approximately €62 million in remaining wages. 

What could have been a storied career, drifted into a career studded with unexpected ups and downs, frequent injury concerns, and devastating failures. The question still lingers for football fans, what if Neymar had not left Barcelona or taken his decisions otherwise?

Neymar Jr, the 32-year-old man, is returning to his roots with the tag that will surely pain him for a lifetime that he is the greatest footballer who failed to fully capitalize on his immense potential. He still has a significant time left for his upcoming club and the Brazil national team to turn the tables, but the years have termed him as football's greatest "Could Have Been."

Tags:

BrazilBarcelonaParis Saint GermainNeymarAl Hilal SaudiSantos Fc

Soumit Bhattacharya

Soumit Bhattacharya's path to football content writing has been a natural progression of his innate love for sports, especially for football. Being a dedicated football enthusiast since childhood, he is well-versed and has a profound passion for the beautiful game, sharing readers a vast knowledge base through insighful narratives.

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