This is the best PSG I have seen: Neymar

For quite a while now, the world has been waiting for the ‘Neymar year’ when he sets the stage on fire and runs away with everything.
But the Brazilian, despite all the promise and hype around him, has time and again flattered to deceive. Be it his injuries or his transfer saga regarding Barcelona and his current employers Paris St Germain, the football world hasn’t yet seen the 27-year-old reach his full potential even after setting the transfer market afire by joining the French champions for $262 million.
The Brazilian knows all that, but he believes things will turn around in 2020. “Professionally and personally, 2019 was tough for me --- a year full of learnings and turnarounds. I injured myself and had to come back. Then I injured myself again…But I am taking the positives so that 2020 can be better,” Neymar told TOI in an email interaction. “I always want to overcome myself. Hopefully, each match and each thing that is coming will bring something good for me,” he added.
2019 saw Neymar coming very close to leaving PSG for Barcelona with rumour mills going on an overdrive on how the Brazilian was even ready for a pay-cut to return to the Catalan giants.

Come the summer transfer window, it may well become the hot topic again, but Neymar for now is concentrating solely on the success of PSG, which also have the outstanding Kylian Mbappe in the line-up. “I think there’s a possibility we can win the Champions League this time. Since the time I have been with PSG, this is the most prepared and strongest we have been. I know PSG have never won the Champions League, but we are going to fight for this title this time. We know our values and hope to be in the final,” Neymar said, as his team topped Group A which also had Real Madrid to set up a Round of 16 clash with Borussia Dortmund.
While the Champions League is high on Neymar’s agenda, success with the Brazilian national team, too, is something that he craves for. While he was instrumental in Brazil winning the Olympic football gold in 2016 for the first time, injury forced him out of their triumphant 2019 Copa America journey.
“My biggest expectation from 2020 is to win everything I can with PSG and Brazil. I’ll seek new challenges -— winning the Copa America once again is high on the agenda,” he added, during the promotion of the Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five, his signature five-a-side tournament bringing players aged 16-25 from all corners of the world to celebrate their shared passion: football.
Despite the Copa America success, Brazil had only one player — Marcelo — in Fifa 2019 Team of The year. There has been a lot of talk about Brazil being unable to produce magical footballers like before, but Neymar feels the Real Madrid duo of Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior can well be the sparks that Brazil need. “Both of them are amazing players and are doing very well for Real Madrid. I’m cheering for them so they can win a lot of things with Real. They are young and have come to Europe recently, so they will have a lot of experience ahead, they will grow up and will get even better than they are right now,” Neymar said.
But the wizard, who himself was a teenage sensation, knows how the pressure of performing for Brazil can be tough. “Brazilians are a little too anxious — they want quick results and want to see them winning every championship, but it’s tough.” Having done the job for Barcelona and winning the 2015 Champions League with the Spanish giants, he understands how “hard it is to start playing at your best in a club like Real Madrid or Barcelona”. “But Rodrygo and Vinicius are playing very well and I hope they don’t lose focus and never forget to be happy.”
Was Neymar talking for experience? Could be.