Maybe he should be hated

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Brazil's miracle footballer: Neymar, 28 years old, wants to reach the premier class final

The repetition of Neymar's miss ran in a continuous loop. With every further shot it became clearer how clearly he had just shot outside the goal. Two meters, at least, pass right. From the bench, Kylian Mbappé stared motionless in the direction of the goal, Thomas Tuchel slumped and Neymar grimaced. Three reactions that meant the same thing: How can you mess up such an opportunity in such a way?

Neymar's scene from the third minute, which would have already been the lead for Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarter-finals against Atalanta, which would probably have avoided the long tremor, it also had a history of origin. Neymar forwarded a tee shot by goalkeeper Keylor Navas in his own half, he sprinted towards the center line, got the ball back, ran away from three Atalanta defenders, then shot from eleven meters away.

Neymar, 28, is a player of extremes. Here sprint and solo over 60 meters, there a miss. Both should be included together, uncut, in every annual review. Not because the scene is representative of Neymar, because he usually hits. But because it shows how amazement and ridicule come together with Neymar.

Against Bergamo, Neymar had missed other great chances. The reviews were already written, and some players collapse under the pressure. For Neymar, however, pressure is routine, he didn't always withstand it, he has already done one or the other assault. But this time he continued to play: He prepared the 1-1 in the 90th minute, the winning goal by Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting two minutes later he initiated with a pass through the alley.

"Neymar, from nightmare to dream in three minutes," was the headline of a Brazilian newspaper. Either ... or. With Neymar, there seems to be no in between.

He himself says: "I am currently enjoying my best days in Paris." Here too, a superlative. There is said to be a lot of work behind this, during the long Corona break in France, Neymar trained a lot in fitness and form, it is said. Just football, no interference.

Paris depends on him

In the evening it could decide how good your best days in Paris really are. Against RB Leipzig (9 p.m., live ticker SPIEGEL.de; TV: Sky), he could move into the final five years after his Champions League victory with Barcelona. He could show that moving to the less prominent Ligue 1 wasn't a mistake for his career.

In 2017 he joined PSG as the most expensive player in the world (€ 222 million transfer fee), which is financed with money from Qatar. Since then, Neymar has been involved in 110 goals (70 hits, 40 assists) in 83 competitive games for PSG. He won three championships. On the other hand: 71 missed games, 62 due to injuries, nine due to suspension. In the first year he retired with PSG in the quarter-finals of the premier class (against Real), in the second in the second round (against Man United); He missed three of the four duels due to an injury.

Departure: Neymar after a foul

When Neymar plays, he often delivers world class. If he's not playing, his team will get into big problems, at least at the highest level. In both cases, it looks like PSG have invested their entire transfer budget solely in Neymar. As if nothing was left and he alone must be held responsible for victory or defeat. But in the three years after the Neymar signing, the club spent another 350 million euros on players. He's not alone, but sometimes he looks like a lone warrior. Especially against Bergamo, also because Mbappé came late because of his latest injury.

But Neymar also polarizes the most. There are the outstanding individual actions, the enormous speed, his passes. "Neymar is the best dribbler, then nothing happens," Real Madrid's Karim Benzema said recently. But the exaggerated theatricality is also part of Neymar. Epilepsy, he is repeatedly accused by critics. "He's a shame for football," said Mexico coach Juan Carlos Osorio about Neymar at the 2018 World Cup.

The fouls against him and the theatrics afterwards

Why does a footballer who is so good need acting? Maybe because they are necessary. At least that's how you could interpret the statements of his coaches, who repeatedly demand the protection of the referees for Neymar. Most recently also Thomas Tuchel.

Hardly any other player is treated with such severity, hardly any other player is fouled as often as Neymar. There were nine fouls against Bergamo alone, one kick every ten minutes.

At Brazil's 2014 home World Cup, Neymar was elated to win the country's first World Cup since 2002. Neymar, then only 22 years old, was already one of the most famous figures in the country, he played in Europe for FC Barcelona and had already earned millions thanks to numerous sponsorship deals with FC Santos. And then Neymar was attacked so badly by the Colombian Juan Zúñiga that he broke a lumbar vertebra. The tournament was over for Neymar, and four days later for Brazil too. 1: 7 in the semifinals against Germany.

With Neymar, no scene seems to be able to stand alone: ​​Anyone who is angry about the theatrics must also be angry about the harshness against him. Anyone who laughs at a missed shot can also marvel at the solo before. For Neymar there are so far two categories, adoration and contempt. But maybe it is finally time to understand that such an extraordinary footballer can be both adored and despised. Both belong together at Neymar. That as a fan you can love and hate him at the same time.