Last week, Neymar once again became the focus of debate in Europe when his name was mentioned in The Overlap program. Gary Neville opened the "conflicting opinions" section with a shocking comment: no player in Premier League history has reached a peak higher than Neymar.
This opinion immediately faced a reaction from Roy Keane and Ian Wright, when they ranked Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Eden Hazard higher. Jill Scott even included Sadio Mane in the list.
However, the most controversial statement came from Rooney. On the Stick to Football podcast, the Manchester United legend said that Neymar "has never been a top player", incomparable to Lionel Messi or Ronaldo, and affirmed that Neymar is also inferior to Mohamed Salah at his peak. This opinion was immediately refuted by Wright.
In fact, denying Neymar's class is unfair. In nearly 7 years, from his peak period at Barcelona to the early stages at Paris Saint-Germain, he is a rare player who can approach the class of Messi and Ronaldo. Statistics also show Neymar's great influence, even superior in some aspects compared to Rooney.
However, injuries are always a "ghost" haunting the career of the Brazilian star. And this factor continues to overshadow his legacy until now.
Neymar had no choice but to return to Santos in February last year, after his contract with Al-Hilal was terminated. His time in the Middle East was considered a failure. The Brazilian striker never really recovered after the anterior cruciate ligament injury suffered in the match between Brazil and Uruguay in October 2023 - also the last time he wore the national team jersey.
Santos is almost the only destination willing to give Neymar a chance, mostly stemming from nostalgia rather than expertise. To a certain extent, the large investment in his salary has been effective. Neymar scored 11 goals and had 5 assists in the 2025 season, making a great contribution to helping the team successfully stay in the league.
However, the biggest problem still lies in his fitness. Neymar missed up to 18 matches in all competitions due to a persistent hamstring injury, not to mention the tension with fans that almost ruined the reunion. Although the situation was then eased, he still had to play in an unstable situation, before continuing to undergo another knee surgery at the end of the season.
Despite the risks, Santos still decided to extend Neymar's contract until December 2026, thereby rekindling hopes of returning to the Brazilian national team for this star. However, reality shows that opportunity quickly becomes slimmer.
In the context that Carlo Ancelotti is building a plan for the 2026 World Cup, placing faith in a player who is unstable physically like Neymar is a big risk. When time runs out, the dream of having another World Cup for the former Barcelona player may be gradually closing.
Neymar has not played at the highest level for a long time, and even when he is in the best physical condition, he will also need a significant amount of time to adapt to the top football environment. At the present time, continuing to pursue the World Cup dream may be too risky a gamble.
From a heritage perspective, it would be more reasonable if Neymar actively withdrew at the right time, instead of continuing to stick in a context where his physical condition and form are no longer guaranteed. He can completely switch to the role of inspiring, accompanying the national team in a different way.
Modern football is increasingly rare in individuals who possess class and personality like Neymar. He is still one of the best players of his generation and does not need to prove anything more.
The lack of a World Cup title does not change that value.
