1998 WC Legend Questions Neymar’s Place in World Football: “He Was Supposed to Be the Next?”

Neymar has not won as many Champions Leagues or international honors as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. But he surely has etched his name in the pantheon of soccer’s contemporary greats. He further cemented his position by overtaking the legendary Pele as Brazil’s all-time top-scorer. Nevertheless, not everyone thinks he is among the world’s greatest. France’s World Cup-winning defender Marcel Desailly is one such outlier who has doubts about the Al Hilal star’s status as a dominant player.

Neymar’s career is yet in the midst of a bumpy ride. He left Europe for Saudi Arabia, inviting tremendous criticism. He then picked up an ACL injury, leaving him on the sidelines, with reports suggesting he may only be back for next season. It is in this difficult phase that Desailly puts his status in dubiety.

Marcel Desailly’s latest story might upset Neymar

FIFA World Cup’s official Instagram recently posted a series of ‘portrait shots that hit different.’ These include the portraits of Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona, Zinedine Zidane, Marcel Desailly, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Luka Modric, and Sergio Ramos, among others. All these players, except Ronaldo, Modric, and Neymar, have won the World Cup once. The 1998 World Champion Desailly acknowledged FIFA’s post by sharing his portrait on his story. However, Desailly did not stop there. He shared Neymar’s picture in his story and wrote, “He was supposed to be the next?,” questioning if the Al Hilal star should be there among the aforementioned legends.

Interestingly, the ex-French star shared most of the other players’ pictures and lauded them. Messi, Ronaldo, Maradona, Zidane, and Ramos all got their stripes from the veteran defender. But with Neymar, Desailly was full of doubts. Well, Desailly’s gesture is not a big surprise. It perhaps stems from his disappointment with how the 2018 World Cup had panned out for Neymar, despite the Frenchman betting on his prospects.

Desailly once had high hopes for Neymar’s World Cup run

Ahead of the 2018 World Cup, which France ultimately won, Marcel Desailly hoped the tournament would turn out to be Neymar’s. “I’d like Neymar to be the one, if he can recover well and play consecutive games,” Desailly had told Omnisport. However, he had a much more underwhelming run in 2018, compared to his debut World Cup in 2014. In 2018, he played five matches, scoring twice and assisting four times. He couldn’t save Brazil from facing a quarter-final exit at Belgium’s hands.

READ MORE: Al Hilal Offer $22M Deal to Neymar’s NT Colleague as Quest for His Replacement Continues

Meanwhile, in 2014, Neymar scored four times in five matches, only to suffer a terrible back injury in the quarter-final against Colombia. While Neymar no doubt possesses individual brilliance, his career has also been one filled with injuries, one that could possibly see him miss out the 2024 Copa America as well. Neymar is yet to establish himself as a World Cup great. Unfortunately, the Brazilian star will have to continue his journey as the ‘prince who never became King,’ until 2026, when he will have another shot at the World Cup.

WATCH THIS STORY: Cristiano Jr’s Insane Training Schedule