From the narrow streets of Mogi das Cruzes to the biggest stadiums of the world Neymar’s journey has been shaped by audacity, imagination and an unshakable belief in joy as a footballing principle. He burst onto the global stage as a teenage superstar in Santos, with the shades of Brazilian golden history, and then conquered Europe with Barcelona, where his association with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez reinvented attacking football. There were goals, trophies and the pure magic moments to come by, none louder than the historic 2015 Champions League triumph.

Nonetheless, awards and trophies have not always been the story of Neymar. Injuries, scrutiny and sky-high expectations have tested him as much as defenders ever did. His transfer to Paris Saint-Germain and subsequent return to Brazil were filled with years of ambition, failures and rebirth. All this, nevertheless, did not change Neymar, he was expressive, emotional, and unashamedly creative with his skills. On his birthday, the conversation is not just about what he has won, but what he has given the game: colour, chaos, beauty and a reminder that football, at its best, is meant to be felt as much as it is measured.

Above the figures and arguments, Neymar is still a cultural phenomenon in football, particularly among the millennials who have been accustomed to seeing clips first before reading a match report. This star, his street sense and unwillingness to water down his own personality made him more than just an athlete, but an icon of freedom in a sport that was getting consumed by systems and discipline. Neymar has been a beacon of hope to millions of fans especially Brazilians; the notion that football can be smiling back, dancing, and surprising again.

The legacy of Neymar is alive and its development is ongoing with each passing birthday. His career might never be put into very simple definitions of greatness, but maybe that is the point. He is of those few players whose contribution can never be epitomized in mere figures. Shining, rebellious or, at times, defenseless, Neymar has led his football life in a very vocal, very truthful way and in the process, has made himself impossible to neglect, just like his football career.

As another birthday passes, Neymar remains a constant reminder that football is not always neat, fair or easy to explain, neither are the people who play it. The life of his career has been lived in public, in the light of merciless day, and in which pleasure and pain often went hand in hand. But by all ups and downs, he continued to decide to play with heart, not with holding back. Neymar preferred emotion in a sport that is being dominated by numbers and professionalism. And it is that decision, which is imperfect and brave, that makes his journey haunt not so much as a perfect story, as a human one.