5 incredible stats that prove Neymar is irreplaceable at Barcelona
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
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.