Wayne Rooney, Ian Wright, Gary Neville, Roy Keane and Jill Scott have sparked outrage with their comments about Neymar on the latest episode of The Overlap.
Neymar has enjoyed an incredible career. The Brazilian broke through the ranks before establishing himself as one of the best players in the world at Barcelona.
At the Catalan giants, Neymar scored 105 goals in 186 appearances as he helped his side to two La Liga titles and a Champions League triumph in 2015.
His exploits convinced Paris Saint-Germain to buy him for a world-record fee of €222 million. While he suffered from numerous injuries in France, he still managed to record an impressive 118 goals in 173 games for the club.
He left for Al Hilal in 2023 and then made the move back to Santos in 2025. Despite his injury issues in the past few years, Neymar is still regarded by many to be one of the greatest players of the 21st century. Not everyone is convinced he's as good as others make him out to be, though.
Overlap Pundits Play Down Neymar's Career
neymar pele
Rooney, Wright, Neville, Keane and Scott addressed fans' 'unpopular opinions' on the latest episode of the Overlap. They were asked to give their take on the following statement: 'No player in Premier League history is better than a prime Neymar.'
"That's rubbish..." Ian Wright immediately said, before Roy Keane noted Rooney and Thierry Henry were better. Cristiano Ronaldo's name was also mentioned, as were Mohamed Salah and Eden Hazard. Rooney said:
"I like Neymar, but I never saw him as a top, top player."
Wright then added: "He could have been but he didn't get to that level." Keane questioned how likeable he is, commenting:
“It’s not just not winning the World Cup. Has he ever been likeable? The way he left Barcelona, I think it gave the impression that it was always about the money [for him]. You can be selfish in the right way, don’t get me wrong. But he was never that likeable."
Scott threw a sixth name into the mix: Sadio Mane. Their comments have caused a big stir on social media and you can view them below:
Neymar's World Cup Hopes in Doubt
Neymar in action for Brazil
The 2026 World Cup will most likely be Neymar's last chance to play on the world stage. Carlo Ancelotti has not included the 34-year-old in his latest Brazil squad, though.
Ancelotti explained his decision, saying, per Sports Illustrated: "Neymar is not at 100% of his capability. If he can be at 100% physically, he can be there. Neymar could be at the World Cup. Neymar has to keep working, playing, showcasing his qualities and maintaining good physical condition.”
Reflecting on his exclusion, Neymar said, per Goal: "The national team squad has just been announced. We weren't called up. Of course, I'm sad, but I'll always support the national team.
"Now it's about keeping working, and being ready if an opportunity comes. Obviously, it's my last World Cup. I was upset. But tomorrow I have to stop being sad. I need to work, train and play so that an opportunity may arise to be at the World Cup. I'm prepared.”