Brazilian superstar Neymar is back.
The flamboyant forward seems to have put the World Cup disappointment behind him as he appeared to be in a good mood on Tuesday when he joined the rest of the PSG team for the preseason in China.
Wearing a canary-yellow hoodie, the world’s most expensive player in the world posed for pictures with airport staff and got a noisy reception by dozens of fans who gathered to welcome him in the arrivals hall.
The moment was documented on Neymar’s official Twitter account as the Brazilian officially begins the post-World Cup journey.
Neymar is expected to be a part of the PSG side that will take on AS Monaco in the French Super Cup game on Saturday in Shenzhen. This match will be Neymar’s first PSG appearance since February when he suffered a foot injury that had ruled him out for the remainder of the season.
Neymar had endured a mixed first season with the French power force. The Brazil international was accused of disrupting the team atmosphere following his penalty bust-up with Edinson Cavani but he went on to score 19 goals in 20 Ligue 1 appearances, while he also added 6 more in the Champions League.
The unfortunate injury he sustained in February ruined his chance of making a bigger impact in his debut season in Paris but it also sparked some equally unfortunate rumours which claimed Neymar was later on stalling on his recovery on purpose in order to get fully fit for the World Cup and avoid the risk of any further injuries.
The magnificently talented 26-year-old forward was also said to be flirting with Real Madrid whereas the pinnacle of all the drama surrounding him came during the World Cup itself.
World Cup Drama
Neymar changed more hairstyles than he scored goals in Russia where he was widely lampooned for his excessive play-acting and theatrics. Brazil’s World Cup journey ended in disappointment as the Selecao were stunned by Belgium in the quarter-finals after which Neymar even suggested he was tired of football.
“I didn’t want to see a ball, or to see any more football played,” he told AFP last month in an interview, describing his World Cup disappointment.
With his batteries fully charged ahead of the new season, Neymar pledged to become a ‘new man’ for his country and leave all ‘childish things’ behind him next time he puts on the national shirt. Brazilian fans got their apology – kind of – as PSG star used a Gillette ad to say ‘I’m sorry’.
In the ad, he stated that he walks off the pitch without giving any interviews ‘because I still haven’t learned to disappoint you’ but it has later on been revealed that Neymar actually got paid £200,000 to take part in this apologetic stunt which was not accepted well by a broader community.
New Beginning
There’s plenty of symbolism ahead of the new season as both PSG and Neymar are looking to start it fresh.
With Neymar joining his teammates in China, there were a couple of new faces there as well – including the new boss Thomas Tuchel. The German tactician took over from Unai Emery at the beginning of the summer and met Neymar with a big hug and a couple of quiet words in his ear.
🔙😄
Le retour de @neymarjr ⚡🔴🔵
🇨🇳 #NJRinChina pic.twitter.com/kvzyLCCOdh
— Paris Saint-Germain 🇫🇷 (@PSG_inside) August 2, 2018
With a new face at the helm and an icon such as Gianluigi Buffon between the sticks, PSG will be looking to assert their domestic dominance and make that big step forward in their efforts to mount the European summit.
PSG are given an early price of 8/1 to lift the Champions League trophy. The most decorated club in French history and the only club never to have been relegated from Ligue 1, PSG have thus far only won one UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup and a UEFA Intertoto Cup.
Neymar will be expected to lead Les Parisiens to glory but his leader’s role is likely to be challenged by Kylian Mbappe, who is coming from a World Cup-winning summer.
The pressure is high on the Brazilian star but this would be as good a time as any for Neymar to step up his game and prove he really is a world class player. And – more importantly – leader.
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