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Neymar will probably never get rid of the reputation of the prettiest arrogant and the crybaby who swallows during his career.
But if you looked closely at the final phase of the Champions League in Lisbon, you saw a new and better Neymar.
And if you listen carefully, you will also experience another Neymar these days, a more adult one, a superstar who has apparently dropped the penny.
Neymar amazes with bet on PSG
“I’m staying at PSG next season! With the aim of going back to the Champions League final so I can win it this time,” the 28-year-old said in the French champions club magazine.
A staggeringly clear commitment from the Brazilian, who in 2017 became the most expensive footballer of all time with a € 222 million transfer fee, but who has repeatedly expressed his displeasure in recent years and openly flirted with a comeback. to FC Barcelona.
Transfer rumors about Neymar regularly hovered in the media, fueled by the discontent of the superstar, who forced his departure to Barça because Lionel Messi’s shadow was too long for him.
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In France, “Ney” has since won almost everything, he has won three French championships with PSG and won the Coupe de France and the Coupe de la Ligue twice. In the Champions League, on the other hand, the highly equipped team started early regularly, also because Neymar was injured regularly in the heat phase of the season.
When Ligue 1 was prematurely canceled in March, PSG had paid a whopping 4.16 million euros per match for Neymar (total transfer and salary package). The Brazilian had wanted to become a world footballer, instead he degenerated into a grave of millions of people, but then Corona arrived. And the change in Neymar.
Neymar as team leader
Neymar did not take advantage of the long break (PSG did not play a match between Ligue 1 and the Champions League for almost five months) not to put his feet up, but to work.
“I have trained a lot in recent months, with a lot of intensity and dedication,” said the superstar, who also significantly reduced his activity on social networks, in front of Lisbon: “I can’t wait to step onto the pitch and write history.” He worked at home between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo for three months to get ready.
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In Lisbon a clearly mature Neymar appeared, and PSG appeared with a completely new team spirit. It is no coincidence that one of the Brazilian’s main rivals was not in the tournament: Edinson Cavani. With the Uruguay striker, Neymar had once delivered an embarrassing 911 Zoff, including a battle of words in the cockpit.
It was remarkable how much the stars and coach Thomas Tuchel evoked team spirit in a team that from the outside often gave the impression of a collection of huge egos, especially after the report by “Insider” Thomas Meunier, who after his move Al BVB had criticized the shallowness and party culture at the Sheikh Club.
But even before Corona, Neymar showed a change as a team leader. When PSG had their backs against the wall before the second leg against Borussia Dortmund (the first leg lost 2-1), the superstar invited all his teammates to dinner at his home.
“It brought us all together,” Ander Herrera reported and also revealed: “He told me that he had never been so happy in Paris as now.”
Tuchel plays a crucial role in the change of Neymar
That was the case, his German coach also played a big role in this.
In the summer of 2019, Neymar’s public reputation was almost at an all-time low. He was whistled mercilessly by his own fans, he had flirted too intensely with a return to Barça.
He was no longer on the list of candidates for world footballer, his teammate Kylian Mbappé had surpassed him not only for the world championship title, while the Brazilian seemed to be more of a pop star than a footballer, drawing attention mainly to himself with hairstyle changes, acting performances, and transfer rumors. .
During this difficult stage, Tuchel became attached to his star, with whom he has had a good relationship since taking office in 2018. “For me it is quite normal between us,” said the German in the middle of the transfer theater and took Neymar under protection even after the fans whistled at him: “It was not easy for him because he is a very sensitive boy.”
Neymar wants to make history at PSG
And this sensitive boy now seems to have found a real home at PSG, where he feels comfortable and also impresses with his best performances on the pitch.
Neymar did not score a goal in the Lisbon Champions League tournament, but the Brazilian was one of the best in the quarterfinals against Bergamo (2-1) and in the semifinals against RB Leipzig (3-0) . In the final, an almost inhuman Manuel Neuer prevented the PSG superstar from becoming a great hero.
But that should come now. The club’s president, Nasser al-Khelaifi, has already announced that Neymar and Mbappé would never leave the club, the Brazilian contract runs until 2022, and “Ney” still has big plans.
“I like the idea of giving everything to eternalize my name in the history books of my club,” emphasized the superstar in his loyalty oath to PSG.
And with the new Neymar, one is inclined to believe in this commitment as well.
