How FC Cincinnati Could Line Up With Neymar—Is the Risk Worth Taking?

The MLS club has three Designated Players all locked up in long-term contracts.

Neymar Jr. has struggled to stay healthy for the last two seasons. | Martin Fonseca/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images

There’s still a long way to go before FC Cincinnati can start dreaming of a Neymar Jr. debut, but with reports linking the Brazilian superstar to the Gary Lions, it would be fair for the club and its fans to start dreaming of how things could look. 

If everything goes perfectly, Neymar could play a starring role with FC Cincinnati. However, the 34-year-old attacker has played just 27 games since the beginning of the 2023–24 season, making the potential for him to play a regular role in a league as physical and running-dependent as MLS a stark challenge. 

Nevertheless, that fact has not stopped Cincinnati from exploring a potential future with Neymar and what that could look like. 

If they were to bring him into the fold, it would likely come with several corresponding roster moves, including splitting from a current Designated Player, despite each of attacking midfielder Evander, center back Miles Robinson and striker Kévin Denkey being signed for several years. 

Cincinnati, which has been a top-end MLS team for several years, has faltered in the playoffs each time. Last season, the club finished second in the Supporters’ Shield table before an embarrassing 5–0 home loss to Inter Miami in the MLS Cup playoffs.  

Neymar, or a superstar of his level, might be the elixir needed to turn an elite team into a side that can go all the way. So, where could he fit in?

To consider that possibility, one of the DPs has to exit the fold. For this sake, we’ll say FC Cincinnati sells Denkey at a loss, given he has struggled to deliver chemistry with Evander and has not quite lived up to his club-record fee of $16.2 million, which ranked as the highest MLS transfer fee ahead of the 2025 season. 

With Denkey out of the picture, here’s how FC Cincinnati could line up with the addition of Neymar.

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Attacking Partnership with Evander

How the Brazilian attacking midfield duo of Evander and Neymar could look for FC Cincinnati. | FotMob

Given his fitness, reliability and the strength of his skillset in tight spaces, Neymar’s best role could be in a creative midfield partnership with Evander, a fellow Brazilian who has been amongst the best chance creators in MLS since joining FC Cincinnati in 2025 and in his tenure with Portland Timbers before that. 

While the two could have a clash of wanting to control the game in midfield, their skillsets could also complement each other, offering Neymar’s direct dribbling combined with Evander’s outstanding ability to make shots and passes from long distances. 

Evander, at the same time, would be able to do most of the running in midfield and take on more responsibilities, allowing Neymar to pick his moments. Meanwhile, the four-person midfield unit behind them would shore up the defense, with little to no defensive effort expected from the creative Brazilians. 

The question remains: who would play striker in that system if Denkey were no longer around? Tom Barlow and his four goals in 10 Cincinnati appearances could be an option, or the club could seek a more proven scorer, albeit not a DP. 

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Neymar As Denkey’s Replacement

Neymar could simply replace Kévin Denkey in the current FC Cincinnati lineup. | FotMob

The concerns around Neymar are paramount if he is to be the goalscoring power for Cincinnati. Yet, his best role may be as a pure striker, simply slotting in alongside Barlow in the club’s current 3-5-2 setup, while keeping Evander as the creative midfielder pulling the strings. 

As a pure striker, Neymar would be reliant on Evander’s chance creation and look to establish better chemistry in the duo than Denkey has. At the same time, it would allow the team to continue in a familiar structure, while largely relinquishing Neymar of any defensive responsibilities. 

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Is Neymar the Right Signing for FC Cincinnati?

It has been several years since Neymar was a reliable star player. | Marco Buenavista/Sports Press Photo/Getty Images

Cincinnati has been big fish hunting before, falling short of Thomas Müller, Weston McKennie and Josh Sargent in recent history. Yet, given Neymar’s health over the last several years and with a largely underwhelming spell with his boyhood club, Santos FC, he might not be the right signing for a club looking for a finishing piece to an already solid core that is signed through the next several years. 

Undoubtedly, he would offer some brilliant moments and bring plenty of eyeballs to the club, but his true impact in a league like MLS may be limited, especially in the final years of his career. Should he sign in Cincinnati, expect him to play a depth role, while the club dreams of him authoring an iconic moment.

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