It is the player towards whom all eyes converge. His spectacular move from Barcelona to Paris had caused a lot of talk in 2017, but the Brazilian crack could well, at 28, get everyone to agree if he were to lead PSG to the roof of Europe next week .
Wednesday evening, after the epic quarter-final against Bergamo (2-1), Neymar reiterated his fierce desire to win this continental trophy with Paris, he who today has no reason to regret not having returned in Barcelona last summer after the historic humiliation suffered by his former team on Friday against Bayern (2-8). So, the football planet, deprived of Ronaldo and Messi during the final sprint of the Final 8, now focuses on the star of PSG. Everyone thinks they know the Brazilian, and yet ...
1. No biography of the star
Since arriving in France in 2017, the Neymar clan, in particular its two press officers - one for the sporting aspect, the other for the marketing aspect -, has been contacted for an authorized biography, written in French, translated. all over the world, mainly in Portuguese. The father and agent, Neymar Senior, has been asked because nothing is decided without him. Neymar has always refused, not responding to any request from French publishing houses. One of them planned a huge check if the deal went through: 1 million euros for crack. But he is not interested in this derivative product of himself, preferring to feed his social networks and maintain his own storytelling.
2. The last one on the bus
It is a ritual or a grigri. The Brazilian is still waiting for his partners to get on the PSG bus to join them last, the star that he is. Inside, he always goes down last, like the star that he remains. He is always preceded by his best accomplice, Kylian Mbappé. It seems to have become a game between the two since recently in Faro, it was Mbappé who played to enter and exit last. Like a Ney's foot!
3. He wanted to be a superhero
Among his “dreams” as a kid, Neymar was aiming for the status of a pro player but also of “superheroes”. For two years, the Brazilian has combined the two with the launch in 2018 of "Neymar Jr Comics". He surrounded himself with a creation studio called "Fan the flame" in order to launch his comic book series similar to those produced by the monsters of the market "Marvel" (Spider-Man, Thor, Avengers ...) or "DC Comics ”(Batman, Superman…).
About forty publications have already emerged. In the “Inked” comic book, Junior, Neymar's imaginary double, discovers a tattoo ink capable of giving life to his creations. A classic superhero story, directed by authors who participated in the drawings of "Shrek" or "Kung-Fu Panda". Recently, another comic, “Golazo”, was launched. This time, a youngster finds by chance a pair of crampons belonging ... to Neymar. Enough to allow him to register some nice goals. What if Neymar soon signed a series for his victory in the Champions League in Paris?
4. The last of his 40 tattoos
The footballer gives the habit of being tattooed, like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, whose body is covered with inked designs. For "Ney", there are more than forty. The first two date back to more than ten years ago, when the striker was still playing for Santos. On the outside of his two wrists, the two first names “Rafaella” and “Nadine”, those of his sister and his mother. To perform these first tattoos, Neymar had to cunning and make an appointment on behalf of his bodyguard at the time, Ishmael. "He likes to collect tattoos," Adão Rosa, his favorite artist, told him in July. He doesn't opt for a particular style. Everything is done in relation to his feelings of the moment ”. The latest? A tribute to Michael Jordan on the left thigh.
5. He fell for the "sertanejo"
The Brazil international sings all the time. In the locker room, in the car, at home in the shower. He loves the Brazilian variety hits. He has a pronounced taste for the pagoda, a very auriverde rhythm close to the samba. His favorite group is “Menos é mais” and his favorite singer is called Thiaguinho, also a TV presenter in Brazil. He also likes to hum "sertanejo" music, a style close to American country, with simple and melancholy lyrics.
6. His evening with Gims
Neymar was quick to join the Parisian evenings, upon his arrival in the French capital. It took its habits very quickly in the establishments of the 8th arrondissement, avenues Montaigne and Matignon, restaurants and nightclubs. He took the César, the haunt of footballers on avenue Wagram. During one of his first outings in the French capital, the number 10 found himself at the table of Gims, the singer of "Sapé as ever". He didn't know him, hit it off, took his number and had a good evening.
7. Poker, game and dog
Neymar regularly stars on social networks and shares his hobbies. Of which poker and video games, especially "Counter Strike" or "Call of Duty", two fighting games, are among the main passions. “Ney” is sponsored by one of the biggest poker sites in the world. Almost every year, he even organizes a charity tournament in Barcelona whose profits are for his foundation. In 2019, number 10 invited for example Gerard Piqué or Giovanni Lo Celso, eliminated in a nice move despite his pair of aces in hand. His love for video games is expressed a lot online, during frenzied parties with his loved ones, which he broadcasts live. His passion for poker goes so far as to own a dog named "Poker" for whom he created an Instagram account!
8. Barcelona, yes or no?
The day after the final of the Coupe de France 2019 lost against Rennes on penalties, on April 28, Neymar received some of his partners at his home in Bougival. On the menu of discussions: his future at PSG. In front of his colleagues in the game, Neymar is categorical: he will complete a third season at PSG. A few months later, his clan will move behind the scenes to transfer him to Barcelona. His teammates never understood what had changed in the meantime. His moral issue with a compatriot the following month, in May 2019? The influence of Pini Zahavi, the agent who brought him in? His father ? In any case, on this occasion, the theory of a Neymar not always master of his personal decisions resurfaced.
9. Not the most expensive transfer in history ...
In August 2017, PSG bought the Neymar clause from Barcelona for 222 million euros. The Catalans could not oppose it. The buyout clause is not considered a transfer where three parties must legally agree (the player, the buyer, the seller). The most expensive transfer in history therefore goes… to Kylian Mbappé, who left Monaco for Paris against 180 million euros.
10. Only his second semi-final
Obviously, Neymar won the Champions League, in 2015, with the Barcelona of Messi and Suarez, the famous attack of the time known by the acronym MSN. Apart from this semi-final of 2015, won against Bayern Munich, he has never known others. Tuesday, in Lisbon, he will play his second half of C1 at 28 years old. This lack of permanence at the top level partly explains his current rage, determined that he is to win his second final in five years.