Neymar has opened up about the sacrifices he made in his youth to fulfill his dream of becoming a professional footballer.
The Santos forward, who began his professional career at the age of 17 and has won numerous titles, said of his youth on his YouTube channel:
"I was 13, 14 years old and didn't go on school trips, didn't go to the cinema with friends in the evening because I couldn't and had training the next morning.
"I used to say: 'Bloody hell, all my friends at school are having fun, and here I am, at home, staring at the ceiling.'
"But there was a purpose, a reason, and I understood that. I'd get annoyed, but the next day I'd be over the moon because I was playing football."
There has been worldwide fame and riches, yet Neymar at times wishes he could block it out and experience life away from football.
"I've been in this situation for 20 years," he said. "It's the price of being a player. It's tough. In Brazil, it's absolutely gruelling. People tear you to pieces and don't understand that you're a normal person.
"All right: it's f---ing hard. I'm grateful as hell, I've worked for this, but I'm a human being."
A constant battle with injuries in recent times has not allowed Neymar to have peace.
"I suffer too, I feel pain, I wake up in a bad mood, I cry, I get pissed off, I'm happy -- it's all normal," he said.
"Why can't I do normal things?"
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He revealed in his latest comments that he is sensitive to criticism. "It upsets me to see that there are people who don't like me for some reason," the former Barcelona and PSG star said.
"I can't make mistakes, I just can't. But I've already made a load of them. I hang my head, I own up to it, and it's part of life. I'm 34, I've made plenty of mistakes and I'm still going to make a load more."
Neymar is Brazil's all-time leading scorer with 79 goals and has played at three World Cups.
He has not featured for the national team since October 2023, when he tore the ACL and meniscus in his left knee.
Despite returning to the pitch and playing for Santos in recent months, his displays have yet to convince national team coach Carlo Ancelotti that he should be in the squad for this summer's World Cup.
