Neymar has already revealed the four Premier League clubs he admires, as his return to Santos has not gone as planned.
The Brazilian returned to his boyhood club in January, having endured an unsuccessful spell in Saudi Arabia with Al Hilal during which he made just seven appearances following his 2023 move from Paris Saint-Germain.
As expected, his return to Brazilian football was met with huge anticipation, but in line with much of his career, Neymar has struggled with injuries and missed five consecutive league games following a hamstring injury he suffered in April.
Things went from bad to worse for the 33-year-old on Sunday when he played during Santos’ 6-0 defeat to Vasco da Gama. Santos are now just two points above the relegation zone in Serie A.
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Neymar left the field in tears and gave a furious interview shortly after what he described as a performance he was “incredibly ashamed of”.
Speaking to the Brazilian press, via ge, Neymar said: "I'm completely disappointed with our game. The fans have the right to protest in all sorts of ways, obviously without physical violence. But cursing and insulting people today is perfectly acceptable.
“I feel incredibly ashamed; I've never experienced anything like this in my life. I'm crying out of anger at everything. Unfortunately, I can't help in every way. Today was terrible; that's the reality."
The Brazil international continued to slam his teammates before saying, “to sum it up: it was shit”.
Regardless of how the rest of his career plays out, Neymar has made his mark in European football during his time with Barca and PSG, but unfortunately for Premier League fans, he is now unlikely to ever play in English football’s top tier despite several links during his peak years.
During his time at Barcelona in 2017, Neymar spoke to The Sun and revealed the four English clubs he admires.
“The Premier League is a championship that amazes me,” said Neymar.
"I like the playing style and the teams. And who knows, someday, I would like to play at it, yes.
"I admire Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool — these are the teams that are always there fighting.
"And then you have high-level coaches like Mourinho and Guardiola. These are coaches with whom any player would like to work."
Topics: Neymar, Premier League, Football, Santos, Transfers, Injury, Manchester United, Chelsea
Luke Davies