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28th January 2022
11:00am GMT

And yet, there is still an element of his story, albeit told from the perspective of his family, that does garner sympathy for the multi-millionaire with a staff of 215 people working to protect his image.
Being expected to lead the world's most football mad country to World Cup glory on your own is not healthy. Nor is being compared to Pelé - previously the greatest Brazilian to ever kick a football - as a teenager. Nor is being hounded by herds of screaming people every time you get out a car. To really hammer home the point, you are shown a clip of a superfan who got Neymar's name tattooed on the inside of their lip. Neymar-mania is real, whether you think it's justified or not.
But we knew this already, and we are all aware of the problems that stratospheric level of fame can create for anyone, young or old. So while this might be an enjoyable watch for those of us who like a window into what goes on beyond closed doors in the lives of elite athletes, it does not teach you anything you didn't already know.
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There are illuminating sequences showing protests in Brazil during the World Cup hosted there in 2014, which only increased the pressure on Neymar to deliver. A heartfelt recollection of his spinal injury against Colombia might elicit an emotional response from some. Reliving the comeback he inspired against PSG, and then hearing the various takes on his subsequent world record move to Paris, is somewhat interesting. Arguments with Neymar Sr about his influence on his son's life give it a sense of honesty.
But if you are a seasoned football fan, you don't come away from the viewing experience feeling that you have really learned anything new. Maybe it's not for me, maybe its target audience are the fair weather fans who know of him, but little else. They might get a rich experience, despite its warped objectivity, like many of us did while watching The Last Dance.
But for those of us who have followed Neymar's career since the beginning and been exposed to the ubiquitous coverage of his career and his personal life, there's not much to learn.
Whoever you thought Neymar was before, is exactly who you will think he is afterwards.