Neymar won the most significant titles of his career playing for Santos and FC Barcelona. However, in an interview with former striker Romário, which will be broadcast this Thursday 16, he said he experienced his technical peak during his time at Paris Saint-Germain, from 2017 to 2023.
In the first episode of Romário’s channel, “De Cara com o Cara”, scheduled for Thursday at 8:30 p.m. (Brasília time), the 32-year-old star reflected on various moments in his career, including his tumultuous departure from Barça .
Although he didn’t win the Champions League or the Ballon d’Or during his time at PSG, Neymar believes he reached his peak as a player in France. “My best level was indeed at PSG,” he said in a brief extract already shared.
Indeed, although the peak of his career undoubtedly took place during the illustrious era of the MSN trio alongside Messi and Suárez at Barça, PSG stands out as the club where Neymar played the most matches, scored the most goals and won the most trophies. Overall, Santos remains the team for which the star has found the net most often.
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Neymar made his professional debut for Santos at the age of 17 in March 2009. In his second season as a professional, he began to accumulate titles with the Vila Belmiro team, totaling six championships. The Copa do Brasil and the first of his three Paulista titles came in 2010. The following year marked the pinnacle of his achievements with the club as he lifted the Copa Libertadores, ending a 48-year wait for the club’s bicampeonato. In 2012 he also won the Recopa Sudamericana.
Then came the transfer to FC Barcelona in May 2013. Regardless of the controversies surrounding the transfer fee and the timing of his contract signing, Neymar won eight titles with the Catalan team and made football history by forming the famous MSN trio alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez. He left Barça with a Spanish Super Cup (2013), two La Liga titles (2015 and 2016), three victories in the Copa del Rey (2015, 2016 and 2017), but above all, a Champions League title ( 2015) and a FIFA Club World Cup (2015).
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-In August 2017, Neymar joined Paris Saint-Germain in pursuit of titles and his personal ambition to become the best player in the world. The first part of this goal was achieved with 13 titles during his stay. With a team dominating domestically, it wasn’t too difficult to win five Ligue 1 titles by 2023. Additionally, it has won three Coupe de France titles (2018, 2020 and 2021), two League Cup titles (2018 and 2020), and three Champions Trophies (2018, 2020 and 2022). The then most expensive player in the world, transferred for 222 million euros, was also looking to deliver the coveted Champions League to the club. He led the team to the final, but fell short against Bayern Munich in 2020.
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Neymar made his debut in Arab football in August 2023. A series of injuries—both for the Brazilian national team and for his club during his recovery—hampered his ability to maintain a regular run of matches. In the only title he has won with Al-Hilal so far, he was not actually on the pitch. However, he now has the Saudi Pro League in his list of achievements.
At PSG, Neymar has truly taken on a new role on the pitch, playing less of a fixed position on the left wing and taking on the role of a true number 10. The heat map below, provided by Sofascore, illustrates how the Brazilian moved from the wing to the center, frequently penetrating the box to shoot.
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In contrast, during his time at Barcelona, Neymar was more confined to the left wing, creating chances along the touchline, while Messi and Suárez occupied much more central positions.
In his interview with Romário, Neymar will explain why he considers his time at PSG the pinnacle of his technical career.
