Neymar admitted that while he wanted to be the best player in the world, he is not disappointed to not be the "king".
At his best, Neymar was compared with former Barcelona team-mate Lionel Messi and Portugal icon Cristiano Ronaldo as one of the best players in the game.
However, his career has been hampered by injury struggles, particularly in recent years, with some fans labelling him as "the prince who didn't want to be king".
Neymar has rubbished the claim that he did not want to be among the best players in history, noting he never expected to reach the level of fellow Brazil legend Pele.
"It's not that I didn't want to be a king, it's that for me there is only one king and that is Pele," Neymar told The Grefg.
"Many things happened, I had many injuries that cost me a lot in my career and well, God wanted it that way."
While at Barcelona between 2013 and 2017, Neymar scored 105 goals in all competitions, enjoying a fruitful partnership with Messi and Luis Suarez at his peak.
He won two LaLiga titles and the Champions League with Barcelona before sealing a record-breaking £200million move to Paris Saint-Germain.
The Brazilian enjoyed plenty of success with PSG too, netting 118 goals during his time in the French capital while helping the team to 13 major trophies.
Neymar now looks to be finding his rhythm again, having rejoined boyhood club Santos from Al-Hilal, scoring two goals in his six appearances since returning in January.
"I have no reason to be sad, on the contrary," Neymar added. "I am very happy with my story and my life.
"I achieved almost everything I dreamed of, and I even achieved things I never dreamed of.
"I am very grateful to God for changing my life, and that of my family and my friends. That is the most important thing for me."
Caycdnprty
1
Hi
Poncklnprs
0
he knows his mistake 😂✅
bhilr
mapbcelt
0
waste-man
Zidane103
1
The prince who never became king
Yoeadklor
0
Well I think in terms of his goals stats, assists, and club achievements, Neymar should be happy with himself but only just ..But without at least a Copa America with Brazil in his cabinet, there will always be a sense of missed opportunities. Not to talk about the WC
Bacdimnpsy
0
he knows his mistake 😂✅
Constantinetino
1
It's not too late u can still the star u want
BREEZE_WEST
8
Bro never once said he wanted to be king not once .. bro played for Barca got bored went to psg largest transfer fee stil in history.. bro wanted money went to Saudi and didn’t even kick a ball .. bro wanted a homecoming so he came back to santos .. bro is doing whatever he wants y’all thinking he’s competing with Messi and Ronaldo… no one can compete with those F R E A K S
BREEZE_WEST
2
Bro tell me once when Neymar ever stated he wanted to be king !!! Mehn how could anyone else want to be king in the Ronaldo/ Messi era .. 🤣🤣🤣🤣 bro just wanted to play and be played got bored left Barca to psg and still played .. then bro wanted money so he went to Saudi league and didn’t even care enough to try .. now bro wants a homecoming now he’s in santos .. all his life Neymar has been doing whatever thing he wanted .. while the world thinks he’s competing with Messi and Neymar 🤣🤣🤣.. how’s they even possible
ORUVAL3
0
Just complète it by saying..."...but he ended up remaining as a prince....
seubekosu
0
imagine if he play with Goat CR 7
He would have been a slave to CR7 like Benzema and Bale was. Slave in the sense that all Real Madrid play at the time was Centered around CR7. They played for him ( to score the goals )and they even played Benzema as a left winger just to allow CR7 to have the freedom to play where he wants. CR7 always wanted to be at the spotlight, all those penalties Messi was giving to Neymar ,CR7 wouldn't have given it to him. So playing with Messi was the best decision for his career ,that explains why his best football was at Barcelona. Almost all the Forwards that have played with CR7 ended up not liking him. Wayne Rooney and Co. They even asked Benzema whether CR7 is the Greatest player of all time,he refused, he didn't agree to it .This happened just recently. The one that shocked me the most is Ramos who said that at Real Madrid, they were forced to always agree that CR7 was the Greatest player ever,but when he left Madrid, he didn't longer agree to it. But players like Iniesta Xavi,Neymar, Ronaldo Nazario, most of the Legends say Messi is the Greatest of All Time in football. To me I believe them bc Messi has won a world cup , most man of the match award than any player, 8 Ballon dor,s ,5 golden boots than any player, best player in the most prestigious tournament ( World cup) twice ,compared to Zero for Ronaldo. Messi even won a world cup and won the olmpics with Argentina junior team at the time.Ronaldo achieved non of these. So to me ,it's only a fool and a man who doesn't accept TRUTH will sit and still be arguing that CR7 is better than LM10. Messi is just in a class of his own
Wetsa
2
imagine if he play with Goat CR 7
mbiaks
6
he is definitely one of the most skillful players to ever play football no doubt