Emmanuel Petit has slammed Neymar for not replacing Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as expected, claiming he “wasn’t focused on football”.
Former Arsenal star Petit didn’t hold back in his criticism of Neymar, claiming the Brazilian squandered his chance to succeed Ronaldo and Messi as the face of world football. Petit pointed to a lack of focus and commitment as key reasons behind Neymar’s decline, arguing that his once-promising career withered due to distractions off the pitch.
Speaking to Poker Firma, Petit said: “I’m a big fan of Neymar’s qualities, he was once such a tremendous player. But he hasn’t reached the level that he should’ve.
“He should’ve been winning the Ballon d’Or and competing with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo and taking over after them. You can blame his injuries and his lifestyle, but he didn’t fulfil his potential.
“He had so much quality but issues off the pitch so I cannot compare him to Rivaldo. Rivaldo won the Ballon d’Or, he won the World Cup, he was an unbelievable player and reached the pinnacle because he only focused on his career.
“That is the big difference between Neymar and Rivaldo, Neymar wasn’t focused on only football.”
Neymar was one of the best footballers on the planet after he made a blockbuster move from Santos to Barcelona in the summer of 2013. He scored 105 goals in 186 games for the Catalans, winning eight trophies, including two La Liga titles, one Champions League, and three Copa del Rey trophies.
He made a world-record move to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017, playing a pivotal role in Les Parisiens’ runners-up finish in the Champions League in 2020. However, his rotten luck with injuries prevented him from becoming a Ballon d’Or contender at Parc des Princes, resulting in a departure to Saudi heavyweights Al-Hilal in 2023.
In the Middle East, Neymar made a total of just seven appearances as his struggles with fitness continued. Just 18 months into his tenure with Al-Hilal, he left the club to make an emotional return to boyhood club Santos in January 2025, where he has made nine appearances so far. At 33, a return to Europe could still be on the cards, but a career that once promised to take the footballing world by storm seems to have faded into oblivion.
