Neymar – TvSportOnline

‘Neymar was asking for trouble!’ – Amavi blames PSG star for injury

The Brazilian forward is facing up to a lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering a broken bone during a feisty Ligue 1 encounter with Marseille

Neymar has been accused of “looking for things” during Paris Saint-Germain’s clash with Marseille, with his actions ultimately resulting in a broken metatarsal.

The Brazilian forward was forced from the field in tears on Sunday as Ligue 1 leaders PSG sought to see out a 3-0 victory over arch-rivals.

He had been subjected to eight fouls during an outing cut short 10 minutes from the end, with the 26-year-old having already entered the contest as the most fouled performer in Europe’s top divisions.

While there is no suggestion that anybody has ever intended to cause Neymar harm with the rough treatment, Marseille defender Jordan Amavi has suggested that the South American often asks for trouble.

He told RMC following a feisty encounter with PSG: “We played normally against Neymar. I found him looking for things [fouls].

“I am just telling you what I saw on the pitch. He waited for us to press and then released the ball at the last minute.

“What did he expect? Personally, I do not know, I think he was looking for things though. He reaped a little of what he sows.

“Everybody knows that he has the talent, but he waited for us to press before releasing the ball.”

It has already been reported that certain Marseille players warned the match officials during the game that they were growing tired of Neymar’s antics.

It was eventually a rather innocuous coming together with Bouna Sarr which did for the talented forward , though, leaving him writhing on the deck and awaiting a stretcher.

Post-game analysis determined that a broken bone had been suffered , although PSG head coach Unai Emery has denied his star player needs surgery, as was first feared.

Quite how long Neymar will be sidelined for remains to be seen, but it seems likely he will miss important fixtures in an ongoing Ligue 1 title bid and the second leg of a Champions League last-16 encounter with Real Madrid .

Source: www.goal.com

Zidane: I want Neymar fit to face Real Madrid

The Frenchman has said that he is “not happy” about the prospect of the world’s most expensive player missing next week’s big match

Zinedine Zidane expressed hope that Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar returns from his ankle injury in time to face Real Madrid in the Champions League.

Neymar was carried off the Parc des Princes pitch in tears during PSG’s 3-0 Classique victory over Marseille on Sunday after riding a challenge from Bouna Sarr before twisting his right ankle as he planted his foot on the turf.

On Monday, Neymar posted a photo of his foot in heavy strapping after being taken to hospital and, although head coach Unai Emery said in his post-match news conference that the injury is not serious, it remains to be seen whether the forward will be fit in time to face Madrid on March 6.

While the absence of Neymar would undoubtedly weaken PSG’s star-studded attack, Zidane – whose Madrid side lead 3-1 from the first leg ahead of the return tie in Paris – expressed a desire for the Brazil star, who continues to be heavily linked with a move to the Santiago Bernabeu, to play.

“No, I don’t like it when players get injured,” Zidane told reporters on Monday at a news conference ahead of Madrid’s La Liga trip to Espanyol on Tuesday.

“I’m not happy if Neymar is injured. Hopefully, he can play. I’m never going to want an opposing player to get injured.

“I do not think it influences next week’s game. There will always be a player who plays if it’s not him.

“I did not like it when he got injured, I was watching the game. I don’t think everything revolves around Neymar, but I hope it’s nothing serious.”

Cristiano Ronaldo has found his form at a potentially vital part of the season, having struggled in front of goal in LaLiga before the turn of the year.

The Portugal star has 10 league goals in his last six appearances and Zidane suggested there is an element of deliberation about him finding form in the second half of the season, with the World Cup coming up.

“It is a bit of everything,” Zidane said. “He knows his body very well. We talk often and it’s important that he’s at the top of his game, in the best shape possible.

“It’s important he rests sometimes too. It’s a long season and at the end of the season there’s a World Cup.

“Sometimes players don’t think about it and take it one day at a time, but at the back of their mind they know there’s a World Cup around the corner. I’ve lived it. It happened to me.”

Source: www.goal.com

Barcelona are great even without Neymar – Willian

After helping Chelsea to a first-leg draw against Barca, the Brazilian attacker talked up the talents of the LaLiga leaders

Barcelona are still as fearsome as ever even without Neymar, according to Chelsea attacker Willian.

Willian’s 62nd-minute strike was cancelled out by Lionel Messi as the teams played out a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.

His Brazil team-mate Neymar may have left Barca for Paris Saint-Germain last year, but Willian believes that the Spanish giants remain one of the finest teams on the planet.

“I think Barcelona are Barcelona, with or without Neymar,” Willian said.

“Of course Neymar is a great player but they have Messi, they have [Andres] Iniesta, they have [Luis] Suarez.

“They have really good players so Barcelona is always Barcelona.”

While he opened the scoring, Willian also struck the post twice during Tuesday’s clash.

And despite Chelsea’s failure to beat Barca, the 29-year-old still believes his team can reach the quarter-finals with a result at Camp Nou on March 14.

“Of course, we can go there and do a great job again. It will be a completely different game,” Willian said.

“To play there is totally different. But I think we can go there with this mentality. We can go there with great spirit and try to win the game.”

Source: www.goal.com

Barcelona even stronger now without Neymar, says Ter Stegen

The German goalkeeper has hailed the signings of Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele but also had words of praise for the PSG forward

Neymar’s €222 million move to Paris Saint-Germain has only served to make Barcelona stronger this season, says goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

The departure came at a time of perceived institutional crisis at Barca, with fan anger at the running of the club compounded by a thrashing to Real Madrid in the Supercopa de Espana.

However, Ernesto Valverde has led a serene march towards La Liga glory this season, and Barca are unbeaten after 24 league games – a run stretching back a club-record 31 league contests – with a healthy lead over Atletico Madrid in second.

Though Barca’s fabled ‘MSN’ strikeforce of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar has been broken up, Ter Stegen believes the squad as a whole has stepped up after the latter left, inspiring their success this term.

“The quality of Ney, you can’t explain it,” Ter Stegen told ESPN . “Because he was super important for us, as a person [and] in the team, as a footballer.

“Now, everyone needs to understand what he did because maybe he wants to win something else, also personally.

“His decision only he knows but in the end we had to compensate all this and this is not easy because he had so much quality, but we did it in a different way and now we have a very, very strong team.

“I think we’ve got some new players who have made us even stronger and hopefully they feel good and comfortable in the team and they adapt very fast.”

Two of the players drafted in to compensate for the loss of Neymar are Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho.

The pair joined in deals that could be worth over €300m, but Ter Stegen says both deserve time to show they can fill the Brazil star’s boots.

“Dembele didn’t play very often because he was injured [and] Coutinho just came,” Ter Stegen said.

“We always need to give them time and be patient because they are young and they have some great years ahead.”

Barca travel to Chelsea on Tuesday for the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie. Valverde has named the strongest squad possible, with only the suspended Nelson Semedo and ineligible Coutinho missing.

Source: www.goal.com

What Ronaldo told Neymar during Real Madrid 3-1 win over PSG

The detail of a brief conversation between Real Madrid superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo and PSG’s world record signing, Neymar, during their Champions League round 16 clash on Wednesday has been revealed.

During the high tempo match, Neymar was seen around Ronaldo after the Brazilian fired a weak shot towards Real Madrid goalkeeper and both players held hands.

Ronaldo told the former Barcelona ace, in Portuguese, “Continue tentando,” which is translated in English as “keep trying,” rubbing his (Neymar’s) head as both players continued their match.

While Neymar wowed the Bernabeu crowd with some classic dribbling, Ronaldo scored twice to give Real Madrid the advantage going into the second leg on March 6.

Neymar is heavily linked to a possible return to Spain as a replacement for Ronaldo at the Santiago Bernabeu.

MADRID, SPAIN – FEBRUARY 14: Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid and Neymar of PSG embrace at half time during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 First Leg match between Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain at Bernabeu on February 14, 2018 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)

Champions League top scorers: Ronaldo out in front of Neymar & Kane

As Europe’s elite battle it out for team glory, individual players are engaged in a fight to come out on top as the best goalscorer

The 2017-18 Champions League has returned for the knock-out stage and the race to see who will finish as the tournament’s top goalscorer is back on.

Cristiano Ronaldo was last season’s top scorer with 12 goals as Real Madrid clinched their second Champions League title in a row and he narrowly edged out long-time rival Lionel Messi, who scored 11.

The likes of Paris Saint-Germain’s Edinson Cavani, Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski and the precocious Kylian Mbappe were also among the contenders last term.

Ronaldo currently leads the way with nine goals in six games, while Tottenham star Harry Kane is up into second place after taking his tally to seven with a goal against Juventus. In joint-third place are Paris Saint-Germain duo Neymar and Edinson Cavani, Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino and Sevilla’s Wissam Ben Yedder on six goals.

Interestingly, Messi is some way off the pace, scoring a relatively paltry three goals in six matches, so he will have to find his scoring boots in the knock-out stage if he is to stand a chance of taking the crown from his Real Madrid rival.

Champions League 2017-18 top goalscorers:

*Correct as of games played on February 14, 2018

Pos	Player	Club	Goals
1	Cristiano Ronaldo	Real Madrid	11
=2	Roberto Firmino	Liverpool	7
=2	Harry Kane	Tottenham	7
=4	Neymar	PSG	6
=4	Edinson Cavani	PSG	6
=4	Wissam Ben Yedder	Sevilla	6
=4	Mohamed Salah	Liverpool	6
=4	Sadio Mane	Liverpool	6
=9	Philippe Coutinho	Liverpool	5
=9	Vincent Aboubakar	Porto	5
=11	Kylian Mbappe	PSG	4
=11	Cenk Tosun	Besiktas	4
=11	Raheem Sterling	Manchester City	4
=11	Sergio Aguero	Manchester City	4
=11	Gonzalo Higuain	Juventus	4
=11	Dimitri Oberlin	Basel	4
=11	Anderson Talisca	Besiktas	4
=11	Romelu Lukaku	Manchester United	4
=11	Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang	Borussia Dortmund	4

Ronaldo v Neymar? It’s Real Madrid v PSG! – Zidane

The two superstars may be dominating the headlines but the French manager is insistent that the collectives should be focused upon

Zinedine Zidane has played down the ‘Ronaldo v Neymar’ billing being given to the Champions League clash between Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, insisting the tie will be more than just an individual battle.

An encounter between the world’s most expensive player and the world’s best adds an extra layer of intrigue to what is already a mouth-watering match on paper.

Rumours linking former Barcelona star Neymar with a move to the Santiago Bernabeu only serve to increase the anticipation ahead of the tie, which begins with the first leg in the Spanish capital on Wednesday.

But Madrid coach Zidane is reluctant join in with that excitement, instead stressing the importance of the team effort, and not just those marquee players.

“We talk about two great players but tomorrow it’s Real Madrid v Paris Saint-Germain, not Neymar v Cristiano,” he told a news conference.

“We can talk about a player like Cristiano, who has done amazing things in the game and won five Ballons d’Or, but everyone can see Neymar’s quality on the pitch.

“He’s a quality player but we don’t want to see a duel between Cristiano and Neymar, we want to see Real Madrid v Paris Saint-Germain.”

Zidane has come under pressure during a disappointing domestic campaign for Madrid, which sees them sit 17 points adrift of LaLiga leaders Barcelona having been knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Leganes in the quarter-finals.

But the former France international, whose future will be in serious doubt if Madrid cannot overcome PSG, rejected claims this week’s clash had the feel of a final.

“All the games are important for me and the future doesn’t bother me too much at the moment,” he added.

“It’s not a final for me. It’s a Champions League match.

“We’ve got two legs and what we have to do is go out and play well. The rest I’m not too worried about.

“We’ve got no pressure. We’re happy to play these games.

“People want to see a good game and you’d have to ask PSG if they’re feeling any pressure.”

Source: www.goal.com

Neymar has a huge heart and is anything but arrogant, says Trapp

The goalkeeper refuted claims that the Brazil international has a big ego, insisting he is helpful and dedicated to the team

Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar is “anything but arrogant” and only wants to be successful, according to team-mate Kevin Trapp.

The Brazil international has produced some sensational displays since his world-record €222 million move from Barcelona last August, with his winner in Saturday’s Ligue 1 game against Toulouse taking him to 19 goals in 18 top-flight matches this term.

The 26-year-old has been criticised at times for behaviour on the pitch, though, most recently in the 3-2 Coupe de la Ligue win over Rennes, when he jokingly refused to help an opponent to his feet and was later accused of showboating by some observers.

PSG midfielder Adrien Rabiot also revealed this week that Neymar and Kylian Mbappe enjoy certain “privileges” at the club, although he said there was no jealousy in the dressing room.

And Trapp insists Neymar has adapted well to life at Parc des Princes and is far from the cavalier performer some consider him to be.

“He has a huge heart,” he told Bild. “He is incredibly nice and helpful. He’s anything but arrogant and is totally integrated into the team.

“He’s just a leader who wants to win.”

Trapp’s own future at PSG has come under scrutiny this season, with Alphonse Areola preferred in goal in league and Champions League matches.

The Germany international has been linked with a return to the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund, who were said to be looking for a new goalkeeper in the January transfer window due to concerns about the form of Roman Burki.

Trapp admits he could be tempted to return to his homeland but says his focus for now is on PSG’s trophy charge.

“Quite a lot is possible,” he said. “I’m from Germany; obviously the Bundesliga is interesting for me. Dortmund are a big club.

“But the transfer window has just closed. It’s not an issue now. I want to focus on my tasks here.”

Source: www.goal.com

‘Neymar will not go to Real Madrid’ – PSG director makes bold prediction

Luis Fernandez, the head of the Ligue 1 side’s academy, believes the Brazilian is committed to a long-term project and will shun interest from Spain

Neymar is still being heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid, but Paris Saint-Germain academy director Luis Fernandez has boldly predicted that the Brazilian “will not go”.

Having left La Liga for Ligue 1 in the summer of 2017, speculation suggests that a return journey could be made some 12 months on from a record-breaking €222 million transfer.

With those at Santiago Bernabeu planning a squad overhaul on the back of a disappointing campaign, former Barcelona star Neymar is considered to fit the ‘Galactico’ mould.

PSG, though, have no intention of selling and have been quick to talk up the 26-year-old’s happiness in France, with Fernandez the latest to play down reports of a one-season stint at Parc des Princes.

He told Cadena SER: “I’ll stick my neck out, because Neymar will not go to Real Madrid.

“If PSG went after Neymar and [Kylian] Mbappe then it was for them to stay here, not for them to leave.

“Neymar is the star of PSG.

“He is very happy, very comfortable here with his team-mates.

“When you see him play, you don’t see what is being reported. He is eager to succeed here.

“There were reports that he had a problem with [Edinson] Cavani but those are just stories and you can see on the pitch by how they play together [and] how they pass each other the ball that this is not true.

“All of his team-mates and everyone knows that Neymar is the top player and that is how it is. I see Neymar being the one that guides the team, that triumphs here.”

Neymar has been a big hit in France, with 27 goals netted in 26 appearances to date.

That haul has already topped his return from a final campaign at Camp Nou, when he found the target 20 times.

There is the promise of plenty more to come, with PSG still challenging for Ligue 1, Coupe de la Ligue and Champions League honours – with a last-16 meeting with Real providing the next hurdle to overcome in European competition.

Source: www.goal.com

MADRID TO PAY NEYMAR €50M PER SEASON

Real Madrid are prepared to make Neymar the highest-paid player on the planet if they can sign him from Paris Saint-Germain, according to Don Balon.

Los Blancos would need to part with a fee of €300 million to get PSG to part with the former Barcelona star and then hand him a salary approaching €50m per season.

That could set up a conflict with Cristiano Ronaldo who makes €25m per season and wants a new contract.

[Source: www.goal.com]