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Former Barcelona and current Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar is one of the most controversial characters in football. The Brazilian star first broke onto the scene in 2011, when he won the South American Footballer of the Year award in a landslide.
All the top European clubs took notice and Barcelona eventually secured the Santos man’s services in the summer of 2013 for an undisclosed hefty fee.
Since his big-money transfer to the Camp Nou, the versatile forward has made headlines for good as well as bad reasons. On the one hand, he has scored audacious goals and won the biggest of trophies. On the other, he has been rightfully slandered for shameless diving and for underperforming in crucial matches.
All of his exploits and shortcomings are set to be unveiled in the star’s latest documentary - “Neymar: The Perfect Chaos.” While we are yet to watch the movie, we do have some thoughts about what we have seen of the superstar so far.
Here are three reasons why the PSG man’s career’s been a success and two reasons why it hasn’t been:
Success: Winning two league-cup doubles with two different teams
Neymar moved to Barcelona in 2013 and immediately felt the full force of the two biggest Madrid clubs, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.
While Atletico bagged the La Liga title that year, Los Blancos won the Champions League and the Copa del Rey, leaving Barcelona trophyless.
The next season, in 2014-15, the then-number 11 helped Barcelona to their second treble in history.
The following season, in 2015-16, Real Madrid reclaimed the Champions League, but Neymar’s Barcelona completed another league-cup double.
At PSG, too, the 29-year-old has had the good fortune of winning multiple silverware. He won the Ligue 1 title for three consecutive seasons between 2017 and 2020, pitching in numerous decisive performances.
The Parisians also won the French Cup in the 2017-18 and 2019-20 seasons, with the winger playing a starring role.
PSG bagged the Cup last season as well, but they lost the league title race to LOSC Lille.
Not a success: Only one Ballon d’Or podium finish
Hailed as one of the most skillful players of this generation, Neymar has not yet managed to win a Ballon d’Or.
Winning the coveted individual title in the Cristiano Ronaldo-Lionel Messi era is easier said than done, but Luka Modric’s triumph in 2018 proves that it’s possible.
More frustratingly, the former Santos man has only made it onto the three-man shortlist once in his career, that too way back in 2015.
Given the natural talent he's blessed with, the return is hardly satisfactory.
Success: Brazil's second-highest goalscorer
Despite playing as a natural left-winger, Neymar has always had an eye for goal. He loves to take on players and leave them for dead before eventually making inroads into the penalty box.
Unlike several notable forwards, who underwhelm in national colors, Neymar’s goal-lust only gets heightened when he plays for Brazil.
So far, the Brazilian maverick has played 116 games for his country, scoring a whopping 70 times. This tally does not include the seven goals he scored for Brazil in the Olympics.
The PSG ace also has 52 assists to his name in international fixtures, which sheds light on the complete nature of his game.
The winger only needs seven goals to equal the current leader Pele’s goal tally (77) in national colors. It would be extra special if he touches the milestone during the World Cup in Qatar later this year.
Not a success: Failing to win the Champions League with PSG
By splurging a recording-breaking €222-million fee on Neymar in 2017, PSG gave their Champions League ambitions a tangible boost.
The Brazil international, the orchestrator behind Barcelona's famous 6-1 comeback win over PSG in the 2016-17, was meant to be the Parisian’s driving force.
Five years on, PSG are still without a Champions League, and the 29-year-old has to take the majority of the blame.
The club from the French capital have rarely seen Neymar at his best in the knockout rounds. Since his record-breaking transfer, the quick-footed forward has only played 33 Champions League games for PSG, scoring 20 goals.
Interestingly, most of his goals have come in the group stages. He hasn’t scored a single goal for PSG in the quarter-finals or later stages in the Champions League.
Unless he magically turns it around and plays a starring role in their UCL campaign this season, Neymar’s PSG transfer cannot be deemed a total success.
Success: Playing a key role in Barcelona's treble-winning 2014-15 season
Winning the league, the Champions League, and the domestic cup in a single season is every club’s dream. Barcelona are the only European team in history to attain the feat twice. Their second treble came in the 2014-15 season, under the keen eyes of Luis Enrique.
Neymar scored 22 goals in La Liga that season, emerging as the league’s joint third-highest top scorer. However, it was in the Champions League where the Brazilian shone the brightest.
He scored 10 goals in 12 UCL games for the Blaugrana, with seven of them coming in the knockout rounds. From the first leg of the quarter-finals all the way to the final against Juventus, Neymar scored in each of those matches.
The Brazilian forward ultimately emerged as the leading scorer in the Champions League that season.
Copa del Rey was also blessed by the attacker’s brilliance in the 2014-15 campaign.
In six matches, he registered seven goals and two assists, with three of those six goals coming in the last two matches of Spain's domestic cup competition.
Also Read: 5 England internationals with most goal contributions this season (2021-22)
