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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)
