Neymar has revealed that he cried at half-time in the dressing room at an away game against Athletic Bilbao during his first season at Barcelona, with the Brazilian struggling to feel confident on the pitch.
Having joined Barcelona in the summer of 2013 in a deal worth £71.5m, Neymar's high-profile move saw him choose the Blaugrana over Real Madrid. Despite his immense talent and having become the face of Brazilian football, Neymar was just 21 years old and embarking upon the unknown in Spain.
Come the start of December that year, in the 15th La Liga game of the season, Neymar had scored four goals and registered eight assists, having nailed down the left-wing spot in Tata Martino's side. That didn't stop him from feeling low, though, with team-mates Lionel Messi and Dani Alves stepping in to help him.
Neymar cried in the dressing room at half-time of a Barcelona game
"I spent the first 6 months at Barça with butterflies in my stomach," Neymar told Romario on the latter's new podcast. "I was like… f*ck, I can’t dribble anyone, I can’t get by anyone, I’m doing everything all wrong.
"There was a day I was so upset. It was half-time, against Athletic Bilbao, and I went into the dressing room pissed at myself. I was playing so bad. I went into the toilets crying by myself thinking, ‘What am I doing?’
"Then there was a knock on the door and it was Messi. He asked me, 'Why are you crying?’ and I said, ‘Nah, I’m good, I’m good.’ Then Dani Alves came in and Messi said, ‘Calm down, we’re here to help you. We want you to play your best football like you did at Santos, without any pressure. If you need anything you can count on me.’
"After that I become more confident. More excited to play and everything started to go well."
It didn't immediately go well for Neymar, however. He suffered separatae ankle and a foot injuries later on in the season, scored just five more league goals and made two more assists, with Barcelona failing to lift a trophy that term, too.
The 2014/15 season is when he truly flourished, 39 goals in 51 games helped Barcelona recover to win a La Liga, Champions League and Copa del Rey treble, forming a formidable attack alongside Messi and Luis Suarez.
