Brazil forward Neymar says he is not ready to quit football as long as his love for the game continues to drive him.

He will quit only when he feels he can 'no longer perform' as he wants to, he told his wife, Bruna Biancardi, who asked him why he continues playing professionally, during a family and friends interview he hosted.

He said, "What drives me is the love I still feel for football."The desire I feel to play, to be on the field, that's what drives me every day; to wake up, to train. The love I feel for football will never end. It will stay with me for the rest of my life.

At some point, the desire to play, because I can no longer do it, because I can no longer perform as I want to, will end … As long as I still have the desire to play football, you'll have to share me, my love."

The interview was aired just days after his 6-month contract extension with his childhood club, Santos.

Neymar returned to Santos in January on a 6-month contract, after ending his contract with Al-Hilal following mutual consent by both parties.

Upon joining Santos, Neymar took a massive pay cut, from earning €1.5 million per week tax-free at Al-Hilal to taking a base salary of about £32,500 per week.

His comments come in the wake of growing public and media speculation about whether he can — or should — continue his football career, given his injury struggles and limited appearances.

Others also believe his off-field lifestyle has affected his brilliance on the field.

Some fans and pundits also believe his injuries, which have affected his effectiveness, are a “wind-down” phase, prompting talk of retirement.

But Neymar believes that, "I can't control other people's thoughts," he told his wife. "It's difficult to answer people who understand absolutely nothing about our lives…

Judging is easy, but understanding what's behind it is difficult…I've spent my entire career a little sad because of this, because of people who don't know me talking about me and not just about football".