Neymar's Resurgence Put on Hold

Apr 27

Apr 27 Neymar's Resurgence Put on Hold

If one thing was clear when the final whistle blew in Paris on March 11th, it was that Neymar is on a mission this season. Or at least he was. With practically the entirety of European soccer on pause, it has halted a comeback or rather a statement from one of the best players on the planet.

Over the summer, Neymar’s reoccurring injury problems on top of his alleged desire to return to Barcelona made me think that Paris St Germain would be foolish not to sell him.

Despite the drama surrounding him as well as all the rolling around, Neymar played 15 Ligue 1 matches this season scoring 13 goals and netting 6 assists. On top of that, a number of his goals were game-winners in the clutch making them all the more important despite what some may say about the level of competition in France.

Despite missing a small number of games this season, Neymar’s focus seems crystal clear. His stats speak for themselves but what caught my attention was the second leg of PSG’s round of 16 tie against Borussia Dortmund.

The Neymar I saw against Dortmund got me all hyped up. After bagging a goal off a beautiful Kylian Mbappe run, it was clear where Neymar’s head was as he celebrated not with an elaborate dance but with sheer emotion. The player shouted and honestly if I were Dortmund I would’ve been scared as hell. When Neymar is on his game, he is unplayable, and if it weren’t for an even more impressive match from Earling Haaland, Neymar would’ve stolen the show.

Haaland bagged a brace one being a scramble within the six-yard box in which his instincts saw the ball land in the back of the net and his second was a sensational strike from outside the box that saw the ball come close to burning a hole in the top corner. Dortmund won 2-1 but PSG scored a crucial away goal that kept their hopes of reaching the quarterfinals alive.

The second leg, saw Neymar put a dagger to the young Dortmund squad. Scoring a header from an Angel Di Maria corner, Neymar was ecstatic as he rushed to his bench to celebrate with his teammates and going on to mock Haaland’s celebration.

For me, it had to be Neymar that led PSG past Dortmund and it was. The Brazilian is in the prime of his career right now considering he’s 28 and last year was certainly one he wishes to forget. I know I was an avid supporter of a Neymar exit from PSG but he showed the world that he’s still here and that PSG is his team.

Facing a deficit against a team with a handful of young talent in Haaland, Jadon Sancho, and Achraf Hakimi, PSG seemed destined to succumb to its usual early exit. That being said, this team seems different. With Neymar locked in at the helm, this team is easily a candidate to win the franchise’s first-ever UEFA Champions League title. It was nothing short of exhilarating seeing Neymar in such form and with such focus. It honestly gave me chills seeing him scoring the game-winner in the second leg as his he wore his heart on his sleeve in his celebration.

Sadly, all could have been for nothing. There’s a real possibility that soccer in its entirety will be canceled in Europe as the coronavirus ravages the world. The Dutch league has already canceled its season setting in motion what could be a chain of league cancellations.

Despite the possibility of this gloomy outcome, Neymar has led PSG in incredible fashion thus far this season and he’s done so on Europe’s biggest stage. I have no doubt that he would’ve continued to dominate the competition. Soccer being on pause came at the worst-time for Neymar and I hope that when plays resumes whether it’s soon or next season, that PSG’s star continues to shine.