Neymar celebrates 5 years at PSG
Neymar is celebrating his five-year anniversary with PSG and in that time, he has accomplished quite a lot though a Champions League win is still pending.
In August 2017, Paris Saint Germain made a huge move when they took back the power in European soccer by forcing Barcelona to give them $222 million Neymar. Without him, Barcelona has not won another Champions League, though neither has PSG. The difference is, PSG now has Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappé.
As the most expensive soccer player in history, has Neymar been worth the cost for PSG? In four years with Barca, Neymar, alongside Messi and Luis Suarez, won two LaLiga titles, three Copa del Rey trophies, and one Champions League (2014-15). He had 105 goals and 59 assists in 186 appearances and was the only player in Europe’s top five leagues to record 20 or more goals and assists in all competitions. In five years in France, here’s a little bit of what Neymar has done.
Neymar’s five years in Paris
Neymar has been in Paris a year longer than he was in Barcelona, but has played 42 fewer games and has had fewer goals (102) and assists (54) with PSG. He got off to a good start, scoring 28 goals in 30 games in his first season, and then 23 goals in 28 games the following season. He scored in each of his first three home games in the Champions League, one of just three players to do so, along with Messi and George Weah. He became the fastest PSG player to make it to 50 goals in Ligue 1, doing so in his 58th game. He sits at fifth in all-time leading scorers for PSG, behind teammate Mbappé. He has won four Ligue 1 titles, three Coupe de France trophies, and two Coupe de La Ligues.
Unable to stay fully healthy has really put a damper on what Neymar has been able to accomplish with PSG. Despite all he has accomplished, he has yet to win a Champions League in Paris. In 2017, his first year with PSG after leaving Barca, it was Barca who eliminated he and PSG from contention. They have since only reached the final once, in 2020, when they lost to Bayern Munich. This year, they lost to the eventual champions, Real Madrid in a 2-0 aggregate. This led to Neymar and Messi both receiving boos by their own fans, apparently disappointed that the superstars did not accomplish the main event.