Neymar opens up on 'crushing' pressure of playing in Brazil while hailing former PSG team-mate Kylian Mbappe

Currently still working towards full fitness, Neymar has pulled back the curtain on the psychological exhaustion that defines his career. The 34-year-old suggested that the Brazilian public often strips away his humanity, viewing him as a commodity rather than a person. This candid admission comes at a crossroads for the forward, who is balancing a high-profile second spell at boyhood club Santos with the physical demands of a body that has increasingly betrayed him in recent seasons.

Neymar did not hold back when describing the environment surrounding the Selecao, emphasizing that the "crushing" nature of the fans and media creates a suffocating atmosphere for even the most seasoned icons.

"It's a high price to pay to be a player, it's difficult, because in Brazil it's very grueling," Neymar declared, as quoted by Globo Esporte. "People really crush you. They don't understand that you're a normal person. It's all good: it's tough; I'm incredibly grateful, but I worked for this, but I'm a human being. I have the same feelings as you, I also suffer, I feel pain, I wake up in a bad mood, I cry, I get angry, I get happy, it's normal. Why can't I do normal things?"

While the forward has been spending time away from the pitch to work on his physical conditioning and spend time with his family since being left out of Brazil's latest squad, he is keeping a close eye on the international scene. Watching Brazil’s friendly clash against France, which ended with a score of 2-1 for Les Bleus' victory, Neymar took a moment to appreciate the quality of his former Paris Saint-Germain team-mate, Mbappe, who opened the scoring.

Neymar was filmed reacting to the Real Madrid star's clinical nature in front of goal during his recovery session. "There in front of the goal, he [Mbappe] doesn’t miss," Neymar remarked. Despite the result going against the Selecao, Neymar remains focused on the bigger picture as the World Cup approaches, stating: "The World Cup is coming and everyone has to be flying high, let's go!"

Neymar's primary focus now is helping Santos climb the Brazilian Serie A standings, where they currently sit 16th after picking up just seven points from their first eight matches of the season. They next face Remo-PA on Thursday. With the World Cup just around the corner, Neymar will also be striving to be in peak physical condition for the tournament, as he aims to break into Carlo Ancelotti's squad.