Neymar arrives at Bernabeu with the same status as Messi at Barca
The Brazilian star is a mainstay and PSG's number one hope in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16.
*The match between Real and PSG takes place at 2:45 a.m. on February 15 (Hanoi time).
One of the reasons why Neymar left Barca for PSG was because at the Nou Camp team, he could not become the center of the team because that position belonged to Lionel Messi.
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Neymar is PSG's number one hope in the battle with Real. Photo:Marca. |
Neymar has found what he wanted - to become the "heart" of PSG, the team's biggest star. The Brazilian striker has had a hand in 44 goals (28 goals, 16 assists) for the French team. Meanwhile, Messi has contributed to 41 goals for Barca (27 goals, 14 assists) this season.
Neymar and Messi's role for their respective clubs is not just about statistics. Both are allowed to play freely and in every attack, the ball is passed to Neymar and Messi as much as possible.
In PSG's latest Ligue 1 match against Toulouse, Neymar had the ball 137 times, making nearly 100 passes. This is a record number not only in Ligue 1 but also in the top five European leagues sinceOptastarted collecting these figures in the 2006/2007 season.
Messi is the star that Barca fans look forward to the most every time the team faces a difficult away trip to the Bernabeu against Real. Neymar will also follow in his former teammate's footsteps - becoming PSG's number one hope when the team visits the defending champions.
Having escaped Messi's shadow, Neymar's next step will depend on whether he can shine at Real and contribute to PSG's ambitions of dominating Europe.
