When Neymar was offered as a PSG player for the first time after this world record £198m from Barcelona, it seemed like an impressive mix of ambitions.
After trying on the number 10 shirt by size and performing some concerts at the Parc des Princes, Neymar sat in front of the international media and stated: “I want to write history here. There are new challenges and our biggest challenge is the Champions League.
This came exactly three minutes after Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi spoke of his “dream” of winning the elite European competition.
Paris Saint-Germain coach Thomas Tuchel is trying to console a troubled Neymar after Paris Saint-Germain lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich in last season’s Champions League final.
One of the still images of the match was Neymar sitting in tears after the slight defeat of Paris Saint-Germain
Neymar and PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi spoke out about their ambitions to win the Champions League when the Brazilian signed for a world record £198m in 2017.
But the Brazilian seems determined that this will be the year of PSG as they prepare to play Man City
Neither of them expected that, four years later, PSG were still waiting to achieve this goal. For all its lavish resources, and despite its domestic dominance, PSG has yet to realize its dream.
There were tears and tantrums from the Brazilian superstar along the way, heartache from injury and the shame of losing from the jaws of victory.
As they prepare to face Manchester City in the Champions League semi-final, Neymar and his team find themselves within walking distance of the Holy Grail once again.
But the words of City coach Pep Guardiola in the run-up to Wednesday night’s first leg in Paris would have resonated with Neymar if he had heard them.
“I am sure that if he had stayed at Barcelona, they would have won the Champions League two or three times.”
Neymar (right) reviews the trophy with Luis Suarez (left) and Lionel Messi (centre) after Barcelona beat Juventus to win the 2015 UEFA Champions League
The Brazilian scored Barcelona’s third goal that night, but glory in the competition eluded him from that moment on
Given that hardly a day goes by without one story or the other linking Neymar to a return to Barcelona, the club with which he won the competition in 2015, there is a lingering sense of what could have been.
We’ll never know Guardiola is right, but you can’t escape the fact that this draw with City is a defining moment in the 29-year-old’s career.
It was exciting to hear Neymar, who gave his first pre-match press conference in three years on Tuesday, say he has “never been happier” at PSG.
He spoke of growing respect for Parisians on and off the field – and even more so since they rejected the Europa League project last week.
Talk about improvement, as evidenced by their arrival in last season’s final, where they lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich, having been eliminated three consecutive times in the Round of 16.
Two of those defeats, the 6-1 Barcelona club in which Neymar featured in his final season with the club and then Manchester United’s belated collapse in 2019, were particularly scarred.
But for all his committed words, the fact remains that Neymar is almost 30 years old, his contract expires next year and PSG will need to sell him this summer to recoup anything close to the unprecedented expense on him.
And Pep Guardiola, City coach, indicated that Neymar would have won the Champions League again and again if he had stayed at Barcelona.
The good news for PSG is that Neymar is in great shape as we head into the end of the commercial season
In short, it’s time to hand over the cup. This time they need to fix it.
Guardiola also joked that thinking about how to stop Neymar would give him a sleepless night on Tuesday and there is no doubt that the Brazilian is showing some of the best form of his career at PSG.
Even critics of Neymar, who believe he is a Prima Dona player, could not deny that he was excellent in the first leg of the quarter-final against Bayern Munich.
PSG were hot in the Bavarian blizzard in the first leg, with Neymar scoring goals for Kylian Mbappe and Marquinhos while also on the verge of scoring himself on more than one occasion.
In the second leg, in which Bayern tried desperately to hold on to their trophy but ultimately to no avail, it was Neymar’s willingness to do his best to serve as the first-team line of defense that impressed him.
But this more altruistic version of Neymar still delivers – 14 goals and nine assists in 24 games during another campaign that was disrupted by injury.
Neymar will always have critics who see him as a prima donna but the perception is improving as he progresses at PSG
He showed an impressive work rate as PSG beat Bayern Munich in the last round
He’s been sidelined for much of the season, missing the last 16 win over Barcelona entirely, but crucially and unlike some previous years, he’s decent and level at the end of the business.
Remember the 2017-18 season when he fractured a metatarsal in a league match with Marseille, which led to his disqualification from Paris Saint-Germain’s last-16 second leg against Real Madrid and ruined hopes of overturning a 3-1 delay in the first leg?
Then Neymar’s stunning meltdown occurred after PSG tried to shake off their 2-0 lead in the first leg against Man United at the same stage 12 months later.
After Marcus Rashford’s 94th-minute penalty that sent United away two goals, Neymar was seen helplessly watching from the stands with another metatarsal fracture yelling at the referees on the sidelines.
He then took to Instagram to criticize referee Damir Skomina’s decision to award the decisive penalty with the help of video replay after Diogo Dalot’s shot hit Presnel Kimpembe’s arm.
Neymar was in anger after Paris Saint-Germain crashed against Manchester United in the Round of 16 2019
The striker, who was watching from the stands, felt that United’s late penalty kick should not be awarded
Handball was given against Presnel Kimpembe after Diogo Dalot’s efforts hit his arm
Neymar criticized the officials’ decision in his Instagram message
Neymar wrote: This is a shame! And they still let 4 guys who don’t understand football look at the slow motion video, that doesn’t happen!
‘How will he get his hand out when he’s on his back! Oh go *** by yourself.
UEFA criticized him by banning him from three European matches as a penalty, but if nothing else, he has shown how important winning another Champions League medal is for the Brazilian.
It also did little to his spoiled child reputation, but the last two seasons have gone a long way to negate that reputation.
Neymar was influential in Paris Saint-Germain’s march to the final last season, scoring in the first leg of the last 16 with Borussia Dortmund and making goals in individual confrontations with Atalanta and Leipzig.
But when it came to the final against Bayern Munich, Neymar couldn’t accomplish. After being choked off by the German side’s defense and being dismissed by goalkeeper Manuel Neuer when he broke, it proved to be a night of bitter disappointment.
There were tears as Neymar was forced to pass the trophy after taking the runner-up medal and standing alone with his thoughts and visible discomfort in the hole as the failure sank.
With only one year left on his contract with PSG, Neymar will certainly not want the constant image of his time with the club to be his tears after the Champions League final.
For a player who has scored an impressive 41 goals in 67 Champions League appearances, raising the giant trophy with the ear of a pitcher feels only once frustrating.
The opportunity to put that in right now presents itself. The meeting of Paris Saint-Germain and City represents a group of the most expensive stars in the world, no more than Neymar.
Go all the way this season and you can see Neymar committed to PSG in hopes of creating a breed of European success.
If they fail again, you can expect him to wonder if the grass might have been greener elsewhere.
