But what will we remember of Neymar in Paris? Certainly, his acts of madness and his long absences. Adored by the supporters on his arrival, the one who was considered the third best player in the world behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo left the French capital by the back door… A look back at the six years of the Brazilian magician in as many significant dates.
August 5, 2017: a presentation worthy of a rock star
The marriage started on a whirlwind. Arrived from FC Barcelona against the record sum of 222 million euros (amount of his release clause), the Brazilian is welcomed like a king. The striker, then 25 years old, was able to measure his popularity with the supporters before the match against Amiens on August 5, 2017 (2-0). Entering the lawn of the Parc des Princes under a rain of confetti and a tarpaulin deployed in the stands with the inscription “Bem Vindo Neymar Jr”, he was amazed by joining a Nasser Al-Khelaifi in heaven on a platform: ” I did not expect that. What I have experienced since my arrival in Paris is wonderful, I thank everyone”.
The new Parisian, who could not participate in this meeting, then walked around the lawn, to the applause of the public. The icing on the cake, the Eiffel Tower was even illuminated in the colors of the Parisian club to welcome him.
Neymar was welcomed like a king by the Parc des Princes. LP / Jean Nicholas Guillo
August 13, 2017: perfect debut against Guingamp
The “Neymarmania” was not limited to Paris. The eyes of the whole world were on the small Roudourou stadium (about 18,700 seats), in Guingamp, where the will-o’-the-wisp was having its baptism of fire. Dressed in the yellow away jersey, which recalled the colors of his country, the Brazilian delighted the spectators with technical gestures from elsewhere and was even decisive with a goal and a nice assist for Edinson Cavani to seal the beautiful Parisian victory (0-3). The PSG Neymar version was launched.
Neymar all smiles against Guingamp with a goal and an assist on the counter. LP/Guillaume Georges
February 25, 2018: first serious injury against OM
It was as if time had stopped. While the Parisians largely dominated their best enemy Marseille (3-0), Neymar twisted his ankle alone 10 minutes from the end of the meeting and left the lawn on a stretcher, in tears and with his hands on his face. The sentence was irrevocable: fracture of the fifth metatarsal of the right foot and a “rupture of the ankle ligament”, as the player confided in an interview a year later.
The former Barcelonan then chained injuries and never recovered: relapse of the fifth metatarsus in January 2019, several relapses of the right ankle, sprained left ankle then new relapses, adductor injury… The Parisian striker never managed to regain his fullness.
Neymar is seriously injured against OM on February 25, 2018 and will not play against Real Madrid in the knockout stages of the Champions League. LP/Yann Foreix
September 12, 2019: a sublime returned to redeem itself
Two years after his arrival, his relationship with the supporters had already experienced a stir. After the soap opera of his potential abortive return to Barcelona, the Santos-trained striker was targeted by the public with vindictive banners and whistles at the Parc des Princes against Strasbourg.
Finally, he had silenced his detractors with a sublime acrobatic return scored in added time on a cross from Kurzawa, thus giving the victory to his team (1-0). The Brazilian, author of 118 achievements in 173 games in the Parisian jersey, celebrated his goal with restraint.
August 18, 2020: a Final 8 of madness and new hopes
One could have believed in redemption. During the final 8 of the Champions League, relocated to Lisbon due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Brazilian became himself again for the space of a summer and finally seemed to regain pleasure on a field. Even if he did not score, the leader was omnipresent in the game and regained his magic of yesteryear, managing no less than 16 dribbles against Atalanta Bergamo (2-1) and finishing man of the match in this quarter-final.
Against Leipzig in the last four (0-3), Neymar did it again, still being twirling in his dribbling but unhappy against the cages (he hit the uprights twice). He allowed PSG, with the help of a great Angel Di Maria, to experience their first and only Champions League final, lost to Bayern Munich. Spanish newspaper Marca even hailed “the advent of King Neymar, the most decisive player you can find on the pitch” after his performance.
Neymar and Angel Di Maria happy against Leipzig, in the first qualification for the final in the history of PSG. Luz Arnaud Journois stadium
May 3, 2023: the Ultras in front of Neymar’s home
The story between PSG and the Brazilian certainly came to a head that day. After demonstrating in front of the club’s headquarters to show their concern about the future of the project, some Parisian supporters went to Neymar’s home in Bougival (Yvelines) to demand his departure. “Neymar, break up” were chanted in front of his gate.
“Don’t let people put you in their storm, put them in your peace” wrote the Brazilian striker, then in rehabilitation after his right ankle operation, on his Instagram account. An action that certainly pushed the player to leave the capital. And as a symbol, a few weeks later, the Brazilian booed by the public, did not participate in the lap of honor to celebrate the 11th title of champion of France, after the final meeting of the season against Clermont.
