Your eyes lit up that night! Over the past 6 years, Neymar has lost time
"In the past ten years, I have won and lost, I have made mistakes, I have tried, I have regrets, and I have learned a lot from them. Because of my stubbornness, I made many mistakes, but I was never afraid, so I raised my head and continued to fight. Ten years on, I'm still passionate about my dreams, to do the best I can, to accomplish the seemingly impossible, because football is my favorite name. ”
This is Neymar's confession as he approached the 10-year milestone of his career. A year later, he reached the Champions League final, but fell short. Four years later, when Neymar chose to go to Saudi Arabia, the 31-year-old was not sorry for anyone, only ashamed of his talent.
01. He fills the void of five-star Brazil & gives Barca a treble
a. From Confederations Cup MVP to Olympic Gold Medal
At the age of 17, he entered the Brazilian league and scored 13 goals in his first season and was named the best rookie in the state league. At the age of 18, Neymar scored 42 goals in 60 games, won the state league and the Copa brasil, and was named in the best team in the Baja Liga.
Scoring in the final of the Copa Libertadores at the age of 19, Santos led Santos to the top of South American football again after 48 years, winning the Golden Boot and MVP, as well as the Brazilian Ballon d'Or, La Liga Footballer of the Year and South American Footballer of the Year, and entered the top 10 of the Ballon d'Or.
After winning South American Footballer of the Year at the age of 20, the 21-year-old Neymar led Brazil to the Confederations Cup. He was elected MVP four times in five games (three group stage and final), contributed four goals and two assists, scored consecutive goals for Gianluigi Buffon and Casillas, helped the team win the championship and won the Ballon d'Or himself.
After Neymar knocked open the goal guarded by Buffon with a free kick, he jumped like a samba on the sidelines, enchanting countless fans.
As a football kingdom, Brazil has won the World Cup five times, but samba football has a regret that it lacks an Olympic gold medal.
Romario, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho have all tried their best, but they still can't achieve a breakthrough of zero.
Until 2016, Neymar handed over a report card of 4 goals and 3 assists in 3 knockout games at the Olympics, while scoring the team's first goal in each game.
Finally, Brazil won the Olympic gold medal for the first time in the history of football, and also completed the championship.
b. Winning the treble at Barça: scoring in every round from the last eight of the Champions League knockout rounds
In the summer of 2013, Neymar moved to Barca, beginning his story in European football. Because he led the team to a 3-0 victory over Spain in the Confederations Cup final, he was also highly expected by countless people.
In the summer of 2014, when Suarez also arrived at Camp Nou, the MSN group began its peak year in red and blue. Combining Dream Three's possession with Dream Two's offensive and defensive conversion speed, although the best time only lasted a year and a half, it was a time that countless Barça fans will not forget.
Neymar's positioning in that Barca is to return to the center circle with the ball to advance + no ball to impact the opponent's penalty area, this time receiving Iniesta straight ball, Neymar who entered the box at high speed lightly passed the Paris goalkeeper and sent the ball into the opponent's net.
In the future, when Paris Saint-Germain brought him with a check for 222 million euros, it was naturally because of the goal that Neymar had sent when he faced them.
Facing Bayern's goal away, countless fans remember that Neymar scored an empty goal after receiving a pass from Suarez in front of goal.
How many people remember that the starting point of the goal was when Neymar started from near the halfway line, made a beautiful no-ball movement after the score, and thus penetrated the Bayern defense.
That year, Barca won the treble, and Neymar scored in every round from the last eight of the Champions League, tied with Messi and Ronaldo as the top scorer.
02. Leave for bigger dreams! Unfortunately, it turned out to be a pity
A. That night you looked into the distance, and I saw a lot of light
Many will say what heights Neymar would have reached if he had not left Barca. However, after winning gold at the Rio Olympics, Neymar is eager to take it to the next level, and he wants to have a team with him at his core to prove his ability to lead the team.
Paris was chosen because only they could take him away with 222 million euros in liquidated damages. Unexpectedly, this became the biggest mistake of his career (referring to the choice of Paris, not the transfer itself).
The reason why Paris Saint-Germain is willing to pay Neymar a sky-high transfer fee and annual salary is because he has played incredible performances.
In that magical 6-1 reversal, most people gave up, and even many fans have left Camp Nou early. As a result, Neymar produced an incredible 3 goals in 7 minutes. Especially after winning a free kick with a foul, he personally took the penalty shot, which opened an unforgettable epic night.
In the final seconds reading period, Neymar's pass streaked across the court, igniting the already dim Camp Nou. Roberto's goal brought Barca back to life and made Paris more determined to buy him.
After the game, Neymar looked into the distance from the sidelines, his eyes shining. Going to a team that belongs to him and establishing a football chapter that belongs to Neymar does hurt Barca's interests, but from the perspective of a player's personal career, there is not much to blame.
b. Adjust your mindset and laugh at fouls: as long as you are healthy, Neymar is still Neymar
After coming to Paris, he suffered serious injuries for two consecutive years, which not only interrupted Neymar's ascent period, but also seriously disrupted his preparations for the World Cup.
At that time, Neymar, who may have been less than 50% in form, although he scored and assisted in the World Cup knockout round, he still left too many regrets.
When public opinion regarded kicking Neymar as a malicious joke, he could only choose to make himself strong after coming out of injury. When Neymar began to respond to malicious fouls with a smile, he became more mature and determined.
In the 2020 Champions League, Kylian Mbappe and Di Maria missed the second leg of the round of 16 knockout match with Dortmund due to injury, and it was Neymar's header that pulled the team back from the brink of exit.
He led the second goal, knocking out Haaland's German side and, for the first time in three years, a healthy Neymar put Paris across the Champions League round of 16.
In the last eight of the Champions League against Atalanta, Neymar took Icardi and Saravia onto the pitch. Lacking helpers, he can only choose to go it alone.
After 32 one-on-one attempts and 25 wins, the most successful passes were made after completing the Champions League knockout rounds, creating nine fouls, five key passes and a tie assist.
Especially after assisting Marquinhos to equalize the scoreline, Neymar completed a long distance from his own backfield in injury time. The first wave of attacks fell short, and Neymar took the ball twice and sent a wonderful pass, which brought the final kill.
A 1-0 defeat to Bayern in the final wiped shoulders with the title, but that Paris team was also the only presence that could compete with Frick's treble champions that season.
Six months later, because of Neymar's injury, Paris Saint-Germain lost two consecutive group games and almost lost the Europa League. As a result, Neymar, who returned from injury, scored five goals in three games, allowing the team to advance to the knockout stage as the first in the group, laying the foundation for reaching the last four.
Especially in the life and death battle at Old Trafford, even a draw will make Paris doomed. It was Neymar's goal that gave the team a 3-1 win.
In the final round of the group stage, Neymar conceded to Kylian Mbappe after creating a penalty to help the latter break the goal drought of 10 Champions League games, showing a true leader.
03. World Cup, will Neymar have the next one?
3 World Cups: Never escaped injury
Because of Neymar's talent, he has been placed in high hopes by countless people since his debut. Unfortunately, from 2014 to 2022, his three World Cup trips were greatly discounted due to injuries.
In 2014, he came closest to winning the title, taking Brazil to the last four on home soil, but missed the match against Germany due to a vicious foul by Zuniga. That injury, which even almost made Neymar retire early, was just the beginning of countless malice.
Before the start of the 2018 World Cup, Neymar didn't even have time to play warm-up games, and his return from the fire line may be less than 50%.
The passing man has become slower, the person has become wooden, and the only constant is the foul on him again and again.
The socks are torn and the shirts are colourful, but from the media to the fans, prefer to parody Neymar's tumbling.
Facing Mexico in the round of 16 of the World Cup, Neymar shined in the second half and became the number one contributor to the team's promotion. Facing Belgium in the round of eight, Neymar created several attacking threats.
Unfortunately, either the brilliant pass and shot failed, or the fall in the box could not be supported by the referee and VAR. In this way, Neymar reluctantly ended his second World Cup trip.
b. Neymar's World Cup journey: will there be another one?
Ahead of the 2022 World Cup, Neymar said he wasn't sure if he would be on the 2026 stage, and this time could be the last.
As a result, in the first game of the group stage, Neymar was injured due to the opponent's scissor-foot tackle and missed two games in the group stage.
Neymar, who made a comeback in the round of 16 and contributed to the passing achievement, once again stepped on the stage of the round of eight. Facing the extremely tenacious Croatian team, Neymar scored a wonderful wall collision in the first half of extra time, and scored a goal past the goalkeeper in the box.
This is what countless superstars aspire to accomplish. When Neymar did, his team failed to win. The manager's stupid substitution buried the good situation, and Brazil once again stopped in the last eight.
For Neymar, he may be tired of endless injuries and malice, so when Paris planned to sacrifice him in order to keep Mbappe this time, Neymar did not insist much.
After all, he doesn't want to spend time in the stands or on the bench, leaving Paris will be a new beginning, and there are still many possibilities for the future.
Wiping away his tears, Neymar is still a big boy who loves to laugh. If Brazil are willing to give him a chance, I believe that as long as he stays healthy, Neymar can still make more contributions.
Conclusion:
From Barça to Paris to Riyadh Crescent, every time Neymar leaves, he leaves a huge transfer fee and a sky-high annual salary.
From a business and economic point of view, Neymar will satisfy all parties or at least be adequately compensated every time. It's just that behind this, it is a pity that his talent was wasted. This may be Brazil's football talent, regret will always be part of their careers.