5 incredible stats that prove Neymar is irreplaceable at Barcelona

Neymar Barcelona stats PSG
After four years at Barcelona, Neymar is set to move to PSG in a record-breaking deal

It's finally happening. After weeks of speculation and rumours, Barcelona star Neymar could soon seal his switch to Paris Saint-Germain in what will be the biggest transfer of all time.

The €222m (£197) release clause that PSG chose to activate makes Paul Pogba's record-breaking transfer look like pocket change. Yet, the Ligue 1 club know what they are getting - a world-class player, goals, assists, marketing campaigns, shirt sales, scores of new fans - the works.

On the other hand, Barcelona will lose a man who would have been Lionel Messi's heir to the throne at Camp Nou. How much will they miss the Brazilian? These stats will prove they have lost a gem in Neymar.

Also read: Barcelona confirm Neymar wants to leave club


1) Involved in 164 goals in 186 games

Neymar Messi assists
Neymar has assisted Messi 21 times in his career

There's no question that Messi is Barcelona's talisman and biggest star. The five Ballon d'Or awards are a testament to that.

Neymar's contributions in the past three seasons have been terrific. But it's only his bad luck that they sometimes pale in comparison to Messi's stats over the course of a season.

The Brazilian has averaged 30 goals a season since 2014/15. His best season came in when Barcelona won the treble in 2014/15. When the trio of MSN finished with 122 goals and 66 assists, Neymar had 39 goals and 11 assists in all competitions.

Although last season saw Neymar struggle to find the back of the net as often as he usually does (only 20 goals in all competitions), he had more assists last season (21) than any other player in Spain.

2) Most fouled player in Europe since move to Barcelona

Neymar fouled
Opponents just cannot contain Neymar when he is on song

One of the first things that struck you when you watched Neymar in full flow when he was just a teenager making a name for himself in Brazil was his ability to dribble past players at will. Brazilians and samba football go hand-in-hand but it was Neymar who took it to the next level.

Here was a kid who glided past defenders with the ease of a man who seemed to slow down time just for himself. And after his move to Barcelona, he continued to thrive with his bag of skills.

Neymar has been fouled a total of 431 times since his move to the Camp Nou - more than any other player in Europe's top five leagues!

As Barcelona slowly evolved from a possession-based team to one that played direct football, Neymar became even more prominent in the Catalan club's attack. And the defenders still struggle to nick the ball off of him when he is in full flow.

It's one of the reasons why Barcelona have perfected the art of scoring goals from free-kicks. They know that once Neymar (and Messi) enter the final third, the risk of stopping them increases and free-kicks (along with bookings) are sure to follow.

3) Most penalties won by a Barcelona player in La Liga

Neymar penalties Barcelona La Liga
Tackle Neymar inside the box at your own risk!

Neymar's fleet-footed style of play allows him to go where most other players struggle to go. The Brazilian initially averaged 3.2 dribbles per game but it has slowly progressed to as high as 5.6 dribbles per game last season.

In fact, the Brazilian attempted a total of 271 dribbles in La Liga in 2016/17, succeeding in getting past his opponent 168 times.

But in some of the cases he did not, he was brought down - inside the box. He has terrorised both the opponents' right-back and the centre-back when he cuts into the box that even midfielders have tracked back to give a hand and crowd him out.

As a result, Neymar has won 15 penalties in La Liga. No other Barcelona player has won as many since his arrival at the club.

Among active players in the league, he is second on the list - behind the one and only Cristiano Ronaldo (17).

4) Neymar loves away games against Atletico Madrid

Neymar goals Atletico Madrid
Neymar has scored many times away at Atletico Madrid

Ever since Diego Simeone took over at Atletico Madrid, the club has stamped its authority in La Liga and almost gone all the way in the Champions League - twice. With one league title under his belt, Simeone ensured La Liga would henceforth be a three-horse race, putting an end to the duopoly of Barcelona and Real Madrid.

What made his side so successful was their miserly defence. With players such as Jan Oblak in goal and Diego Godin marshaling the back-line, they kept a number of clean sheets. Atletico conceded just 18 goals in the league in the 2015/16 season.

But whatever Simeone did, he often did not have a viable plan to tackle Neymar. The trio of MSN is tough to stop but Neymar always made merry against the Rojoblancos.

In fact, Neymar has scored six goals at the Vicente Calderon. In what was a notoriously tough place to travel to, he pretty much looked forward to finding the back of the net that is barely ever disturbed by visiting teams.

5) Neymar hardly misses games due to injury

Neymar injuries
Neymar has been kicked around a lot but hardly suffers serious injuries

Averaging about 47 games in a campaign during his time at Barcelona, his fitness is also commendable - missing the odd game because of suspension or rest rather than injury.

The longest he has been out injured since 2014/15 is just four games (in the 2015/16 season). Apart from the severe injury he suffered in the 2014 World Cup after Colombia's Juan Zuniga kneed him in the back, Neymar has just missed the odd game or two due to muscle fatigue.

Ever since his move to Barcelona, only two players have played more games than Neymar - Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets.

The fact that he is just 25 with his best years still ahead of him suggests PSG will benefit the most as he reaches his peak.

Also read: 5 reasons why Neymar's €222m transfer from Barcelona to PSG will really happen

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Edited by Rohith Nair