When Neymar Jr. entered the field as a substitute in the 67th minute of Brazil’s World Cup Round of 16 clash with Norway, the expectation from his country was the same as it’s been for the last decade and a half: the savior had arrived.
The burden of being Brazil’s next legend has always been on the shoulders of a player who is undoubtedly one of the best and most talented of his generation, but his fourth and final World Cup appearance ended in a sad and predictable way.
Neymar clearly wasn’t fit
enough to be on the pitch in a do-or-die knockout match, and Brazil’s entire structure fell apart the moment he came on. Norway went on to dominate the rest of the game, Erling Haaland scored two brilliant goals, and Brazil experienced the earliest knockout exit in their storied World Cup history.
But Neymar still had a chance to experience what he’s always craved: the spotlight. He scored a penalty after deciding to trade insults with the Norwegian goalkeeper, and continued to taunt him after scoring despite his country needing him to just take the ball back to the center circle for one last chance.
That was the perfect example of what Neymar’s career would become since the biggest and most consequential decision of his career: when he chose to leave Barcelona in 2017 to join Paris Saint-Germain, he wanted the spotlight for himself and himself only.
The spotlight came before any team success because individual glory was always the main goal. Being the headline, good or bad, always came first. Dazzling the world with his unending talent seemed to be the priority, even if it meant sacrificing what was good for the other 10 wearing the same uniform.
Barcelona fans had the pleasure of witnessing his very best, which is why they were willing to forgive his ugly departure and always wish for his return whenever he flirted with a comeback to Camp Nou. But PSG and Brazil fans got to see his worst: the version that didn’t pay football back for giving him gifts that almost no one else had.
A major knee injury in 2023 took away what remained of his athleticism and effectively ended Neymar’s career as a top-level player, and his entire goal from that moment on was to be fit enough for one last World Cup. He came back to his home in Santos, and was hoping to see the country embrace him and once again build him up as that savior.
Part of the country did embrace him and thought of him as a savior. Another (very big) part saw the reality: Neymar was done as a high-level player, and his presence in the World Cup squad was nothing but a marketing ploy and a distraction.
Not even the legendary Carlo Ancelotti could resist the immense pressure created by big figures in Brazilian media and even politics, and Neymar was named in the 26-man squad. His inclusion was sold as a reward for his previous legacy built with the national team, and his role would be that of a veteran leader and nothing more.
But when push came to shove, in the biggest game yet, the predictable happened: Neymar came on to play the part of savior, but he was clearly not even close to ready for it. His presence destabilized the team, and he still found a way to chase the spotlight for himself even in defeat.
For those lucky enough to have seen Neymar at his very best, watching his exit from the world stage is sad because a player of his talent deserved to win more, both at club and country level. For those unlucky enough to witness his worst, the end was exactly as ugly and depressing as expected.
