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."

Minha maior alegria é jogar FUTEBOL pic.twitter.com/rQ42Rri2Sw

— Neymar Jr (@neymarjr) February 24, 2025

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."