Part of this story
Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil striker Neymar Jr gave a couple of five-a-side teams the surprise of their lives recently when he dropped by for a kickabout with the winners of the French national finals of Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five.
The teams, as you can imagine, were stunned by the arrival of the Brazilian – part of one of the most star-studded forward lines that world football has ever seen – but the same can't be said of Neymar Jr himself.
In a wide-ranging interview, the 29-year-old discusses his joy at being reunited with Lionel Messi, his admiration for the talents of some key club-mates, the satisfaction he gets from his global five-a-side competition, and what it would mean to surpass Pelé's goal-scoring record for Brazil. In good news for fans of the Seleção, there's also the strongest hint yet that reports of his international retirement may have been greatly exaggerated. Read on for the full story…
How pleased have you been by the success of RedBull Neymar Jr’s Five?
It makes me really happy. In all honesty, I didn't believe and I didn't think that we would reach as many people and countries as we have. It makes me really happy and flattered every time I have the chance to watch it live – unfortunately, that isn't often because of training and matches and I can't follow everything. But when I'm at the final, I'm very happy, I try to have fun and talk to everyone, so that everyone feels like they're playing on the streets. That was the goal in creating the tournament, so that players can feel that they're playing Brazilian street football.
How did the tournament come about – what was the thinking behind it?
This idea came up together with RedBull. It's based on the street football of Brazil… a modern street football, let's say. It's 5v5, no 'keeper, a bit of a dynamic game, fast, with quick-thinking, so I wanted to bring that idea to life.
Playing-wise, how much are you enjoying being reunited with Lionel Messi?
I'm very happy, very satisfied having Messi at Paris Saint-Germain. Not only is he a football idol, a top player and a genius, he's also my friend. And when you have friends by your side, your daily life is lighter and quieter. We hope to make history together just like we did at Barcelona.
Who are the team-mates that most excite you?
I would say two: [Kylian] Mbappé and [Marco] Verratti. Mbappé is really quick, young, a great player. And the other one that surprised me was Verratti. I knew he was good, but I didn't know he was as good as he is, as genius as he is. Today, I can firmly say that he's one of the best midfielders I have played with, alongside Xavi and Iniesta.
How special would winning the Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain be?
It would be incredible. I came to Paris Saint-Germain with the goal of raising the Champions League trophy. I've been trying that since 2017. Today our team has some new additions, players of a lot of quality were brought in and we're still adapting to each other. The moment we're used to each other, we'll be very strong collectively and, individually, I don't think I need to say anything. It would be incredible, wonderful to do together with Paris Saint-Germain what we did in Barcelona.
I wanted to say that I'm seeing it [The World Cup] as if it was the last one. Why? Because we don't know how tomorrow will be
Neymar da Silva Santos Jr
You’ve had a lot of success with the national team. How much do you remember that first goal?
My memory of my first goal for the national team is of kneeling down and thanking God for all that had happened in my life. It all happened super-fast and it was one of the most wonderful things that happened in my life… a goal in my first game for the team.
There are always stories about your future. Is it true next year’s World Cup be your last?
I said something, but people understood a different thing. I said that, yes, this would be my last World Cup and that I would face it in the best way possible. I will give my best to be there at 100 percent because it's as if I had a game the next day, it's how I go about it. If there's a game tomorrow, that game to me, it's as if it was the last one in my life. So, for that World Cup that's coming up, I'm thinking about it as if it was the last one for me because I don't know how tomorrow will be and what can happen.
When I said that, it was a bit controversial, with people saying I wanted to stop playing football and that I would leave the national team. People understood a completely different thing. I wanted to say that I'm seeing it as if it was the last one. Why? Because we don't know how tomorrow will be and what can happen.
How important is overtaking Pelé’s goal-scoring record of 77 for Brazil?
I think this is one of those I want to achieve because it's for my country, the national team I play for and for the country I was born in. I don't think I can express myself to say how it would feel if I achieved that goal. It's something I have as a clear goal. I believe every player when they're about to reach something, they're even more motivated. But I'm far from thinking I'm better than Pelé or comparing myself to him. I have this opportunity of overtaking Pele's goal record, yes, but my respect for him is bigger and, I'm sure, when I score that 77th goal I'll pay homage to him.
How much of an idol is Pelé to you?
Pelé means football. Ever since I understood what football was, I always heard the name of Pelé. If someone on the street, on a field or at school would dribble past three players and scored a goal, someone would always say, "you scored a goal like Pelé". Or when you had someone at school acting up and thinking they were the best, we would say, "do you think you're Pelé?". These type of expressions I've been hearing since I was a child. Pelé to me is the king of football, the biggest idol in Brazil. I have a huge amount of respect for him and for everything he did for our football and country. If Brazil is nowadays world-famous for football, it's because of him. We are really blessed that Pelé was born in Brazil.
Do you have other idols within sport?
Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan is a guy that inspires me. I believe we have similar stories. I get a lot of inspiration from him and from things he went through and things he said. So he's an idol of mine.
And when you’re finally done playing, do you have plans to move into coaching?
No, I'm not planning on being a coach, far from it. I still don't know what I'm going to do, I haven't decided. But I'm still far from it. Let's see what happens.
Part of this story
