Emmanuel Petit slams Neymar for failing to replace Cristiano Ronaldo & Lionel Messi

The Brazilian has endured an injury-ridden career.

Neymar has come under fire from Emmanuel Petit, who says he “wasn’t focused on football” for failing to replace Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as planned.

Petit, a former Arsenal player, was unreserved in his criticism of Neymar, saying the Brazilian wasted his opportunity to become the next Ronaldo and Messi to represent football globally.

Petit claimed that distractions off the field caused Neymar’s once-promising career to wane and cited a lack of dedication and attention as major factors in his downfall.

When addressing Poker Firma, Petit stated:

“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.”

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 LaLiga 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.

Neymar only made seven appearances overall in the Middle East as his fitness issues persisted. He only stayed with Al-Hilal for eighteen months before leaving to make an emotional comeback to his boyhood club, Santos, in January 2025. So far, he has made nine appearances there.

A return to Europe may still be possible at age 33. But a career that once seemed to have the potential to revolutionise football appears to have sunk into darkness.

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