CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Will Neymar support Barcelona or Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League?
The Brazilian superstar played alongside Lionel Messi for both Barça and PSG in Europe. Who will Ney be cheering on in today’s quarter-final second leg?
Neymar Jr’s time in Saudi Arabia has not gone to plan. The Brazilian forward is currently completing his recuperation from a major knee injury sustained on international duty last October and has already been sidelined for more than six months.
But with all that time on his hands Neymar will have plenty of opportunity to tune into Tuesday’s Champions League clash between Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, two of his former clubs. It’s still all to play for in the quarter-final after a 3-2 win for Barça in the first leg in Paris.
So, who will the 31-year-old be cheering for? He spent six years with PSG, as opposed to four years at Barcelona, but unquestionably found his best form in Spain. He won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2014/15 and actually played more matches in LaLiga than he managed in Ligue Un, owing to his poor fitness record later in his career.
After the first leg at Parc de Princes, Neymar took to social media to celebrate the Barça win. Forward Raphinha scored his first Champions League goal and Neymar liked and responded to the post on the official Barcelona Instagram account. He posted emojis of two raised palms and a smiling face sticking out a tongue, mimicking Raphinha’s goal celebration.
What did Neymar say about his time at PSG?
It looks like Neymar will be hoping that Barcelona progress on Tuesday, his former teammate Xavi edging closer to securing the club’s first European title since that 2015 triumph. Neymar enjoyed huge success with Barça before agreeing a world record deal, worth €222 million, to move to PSG. Despite winning countless French league titles and domestic cup competitions, the star-studded PSG side failed to convince in Europe.
Even the arrival of Lionel Messi, joining Neymar and Parisian star Kylian Mbappé, did not improve their continental struggles. Both Neymar and Messi left the club last summer and the Brazilian told Globo’s Esporte Espetacular that he “lived through hell” in Paris.
“I was very happy for the year he had, but at the same time very sad, because he lived both sides of the coin. He went to heaven with the Argentina team, won everything in recent years, and with Paris he lived hell, we lived through hell, both he and I,” Neymar explained, suggesting that both he and Messi will be cheering on the Blaugrana on Tuesday.