Neymar's 5 greatest PSG performances
Neymar reached the milestone of 100 Ligue 1 matches with PSG last week, as the Parc des Princes side ran out convincing 4-0 winners over Montpellier.
True to form, the Brazilian scored a goal to mark the occasion. His overall display, too, was highly impressive, particularly given that he has only just recovered from a nasty ankle injury picked up late in 2020.
Neymar's five most memorable PSG appearances:
While there may be those who doubt if Neymar was worth the €222 million that PSG splashed out for him in 2017, the Brazilian's statistics speak for themselves: 100 games, 81 goals, 46 assists.
The only criticism that could be levelled at him is that Neymar has spent so much time injured. However, these issues have frequently been caused by opponents rather than a lack of condition.
On that note, here are Neymar's five finest performances for PSG till date.
#5 PSG 5-1 Istanbul Basaksehir (December 9, 2020)
This was a match played in peculiar circumstances. as it was pushed back 24 hours following accusations of racism levelled at the fourth official just minutes after kick off.
The delay, however, did not stop PSG from romping to a 5-1 triumph. Neymar, typically, was to the fore, as he produced a dazzling display of quality. bagging a hat-trick and an assist.
He got the ball rolling for his side 20 minutes into the game. A long, controlled period of build-up play suddenly exploded into life when Neymar stepped into the space between the visiting midfield and defence. He executed a brilliant nutmeg on Carlos Ponck before bending the ball from 20 yards into the corner of the goal.
Shortly before the break, Neymar completed a breakaway by scoring when clean through; moments later, he won a penalty from which Kylian Mbappe scored.
Early in the second half, Neymar scored again, doing so emphatically from the edge of the box. There was a sense that he could have scored more if he really wished.
#4 Manchester United 1-3 PSG (December 2, 2020)
Neymar is an often much-derided figure in England, where there is the belief that the Brazilian offers more style than substance and that he is more qualified to win an Oscar than the Ballon d’Or.
One evening will not change these opinions, yet against Manchester United at Old Trafford, Neymar was in simply blistering form.
The chips were down for PSG heading into this match. With two defeats in their opening four Champions League matches and having won 1-0 over Leipzig in very unconvincing fashion a week earlier, anything short of a win against the Red Devils would likely have meant PSG's early exit.
However, Neymar ensured almost singlehandedly that that did not happen.
He pushed his side in front after six minutes. After being at the genesis of a sweeping move upfield, Neymar showed his goal-scoring instinct to pounce upon a deflected Kylian Mbappe shot before firing past David de Gea from a tight angle. It was the third time Neymar was involved in that move.
Similarly, he killed the game off in stoppage time. Again, he was to be found at the start of the play, gathering possession 30 yards from his own net before dodging one challenge and playing a silky pass forward that unlocked the defence.
When Rafinha played a deft pass along the six-yard box seconds later, Neymar put the game beyond doubt.