Neymar
Early life
Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior was born in Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo, to Neymar Santos Sr. and Nadine da Silva and had a Christian upbringing. He inherited his name from his father, who is a former footballer and became his son's advisor as Neymar's talents began to grow. Neymar comments on his father's role: "My father has been by my side since I was little. He takes care of things, my finances and my family." Growing up, Neymar combined his love of futsal with street football. Neymar said that futsal had a massive influence on him growing up, helping him develop his technique, speed of thought and ability to perform moves in tight spaces.
In 2003, Neymar moved with his family to São Vicente, where he began playing for youth side Portuguesa Santista. Then, later in 2003, they moved to Santos, where Neymar joined Santos. With the success of his youth career and added income, the family bought their first property, a house next to Vila Belmiro, Santos' home stadium. Their quality of family life improved, as at age 15, Neymar was earning 10,000 reais per month and at 16, 125,000 reais per month. At 17, he signed his first full professional contract, was upgraded to the Santos first team, and began signing his first sponsorship deals
Club career
2010: Campeonato Paulista success
—South American football journalist Tim Vickery on Neymar in 2010.
Neymar continued his ascendancy in 2010, and, on 15 April 2010, he scored five goals for Santos in an 8–1 rout of Guarani in the qualifying stages of the Brazilian Cup. Following the 2010 Campeonato Paulista in which Neymar scored 14 goals in 19 games, the club were crowned champions after a 5–5 aggregate win over Santo André in the finals. Neymar was subsequently given the award for the best player in the competition. Neymar's performances for Santos have drawn comparisons to other Brazilians, including Robinho and Pelé
In 2010, Santos rejected a £12 million bid for him from English Premier League team West Ham United, and later an offer from another English club, Chelsea, reported to be in the region of £20 million. Despite the unwillingness of Santos to sell and Neymar himself stating: "I'm focused only on Santos", his agent, Wagner Ribeiro, indicated that Neymar's career was elsewhere, stating: "He wants to become the best player in the world. The chances of him doing that while playing in Brazil are zero." One year later Neymar said, in an interview with the Daily Telegraph, that he had been happy with Chelsea's interest in him as it was a "dream" of his "to play in Europe", while also stating that at the time it had been the right decision to stay in Brazil.
On 30 November 2010, Santos sold a 5% share of future transfer fees that he would receive to an investment group, Terceira Estrela Investimentos S.A. (TEISA), for R$ 3,549,900 (€1.5 million). The previous year, his family had sold a 40% stake in Neymar's sporting rights to the DIS Esporte group who had been a long-term strategic partner of Santos' football club.
Despite his first two seasons being highly successful, having ended the 2010 season with an impressive 42 goals in 60 games, problems had been identified, namely Neymar's apparent taste for diving when tackled, rather than attempting to continue his run, and his attitude. The latter came to the forefront during a match with Atlético Goianiense, on 15 September 2010, when the Santos' manager, Dorival Júnior, appointed another player to take the penalty awarded for a foul on Neymar. His decision was based on the fact that Neymar had missed a crucial penalty during the Copa do Brasil final of that year, even if Santos went on to win. Reacting to this, Neymar turned his back on his manager, had to be calmed down by a linesman and argued with his captain, Edu Dracena. The fallout from this event was that Dorival Júnior wished to have Neymar suspended for two weeks, but the board sided with the player and promptly sacked the manager. Despite Neymar's apologies over the incident, some doubts still remain about his attitude. In December 2010, aged just 18, Neymar came third for the 2010 South American Footballer of the Year, behind Andrés D'Alessandro and Juan Sebastián Verón
2011: Puskás Award
Neymar scored six goals during Santos' run to the 2011 Copa Libertadores Finals, tying him for third top goalscorer, including the clinching goal of Santos' 4–3 aggregate win over Cerro Porteño in the semi-finals. In the two-legged final, Santos faced Uruguayan side Peñarol and drew the first leg 0–0 in Montevideo. At home in the second leg, Neymar opened the scoring in the 46th minute as Santos held on for a 2–1 win and Neymar won Man of the Match honours.The win brought Santos their first Copa Libertadores triumph since 1963, when Brazilian legend Pelé was playing for the club.
In September 2011, Santos club president Luís Ribeiro threatened to report Real Madrid to FIFA following reports that they had attempted to sign Neymar to a pre-contract agreement, and denied that such an agreement was in place.On 9 November 2011, Neymar and Santos agreed to a contract extension that would see the player stay with the club until after the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The deal reportedly increased Neymar's wages by 50%, to the levels that top European clubs would be paying him. On 14 December 2011, Neymar scored the opening goal for Santos as they defeated Kashiwa Reysol 3–1 in the semi-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup at the Toyota Stadium in Toyota, Japan, but failed to score against Barcelona in the final on 18 December 2011, where Santos were defeated 4–0, finishing as runners-up in the competition. He won the 2011 FIFA Puskás Award for scoring a solo goal in the Brasileirão Série A against Flamengo, in a 5–4 loss. On 31 December 2011, he won the 2011 South American Footballer of the Year award for the first time, by a record margin, following in the footsteps of Diego Maradona, Romário, Pelé and Zico
2012: South America's best player
On 5 February 2012, when he turned 20, Neymar scored his 100th goal as a professional football player, against Palmeiras in the Campeonato Paulista. On 25 February 2012 – he scored two goals, one of which was from 25-yards – and created two assists to help his side to a 6–1 win over Ponte Preta.[53] On 7 March 2012, Neymar netted a hat-trick as Santos saw off Brazilian rivals Internacional 3–1 in the Copa Libertadores Group stage match. On 29 March, he scored a brace against Guaratinguetá in a 5–0 victory.[55] In the fixture against São Paulo on 29 April 2012, Neymar scored a hat-trick with the match ending 3–1.[56] Thereafter, he went on to score twice in the first[57] and second legs[58] in the 2012 Campeonato Paulista Finals against Guarani, which ended 7–2 on aggregate. Neymar finished the 2012 Campeonato Paulista with 20 goals and was voted the Best player and Best Forward, and Santos were crowned champions. He was joint top scorer in the Copa Libertadores with eight goals, after Santos were beaten over two legs by eventual champions Corinthians in the semi-finals.
On 25 August 2012, he scored a brace in the 2–1 away win at Palmeiras.[59] On 3 November 2012, in the Brasileiro Série A away fixture at Cruzeiro, Neymar scored a hat-trick and assisted Felipe Anderson's goal, to help his side to a 4–0 win.[60] Neymar finished off the 2012 season in style, first setting-up Victor Andrade's equaliser, then scoring twice, to give Santos a 3–1 home win over Palmeiras on 1 December 2012.[61] Neymar was voted the Best Player of the 2012 Recopa Sudamericana, with himself scoring in the second leg to win the title 2–0 on aggregate. He finished the 2012 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A with 14 goals and being voted the Best forward. Neymar finished the 2012 season, being award the Golden Ball, Arthur Friedenreich Award and Armando Nogueira Trophy. He was one of three finalists in the 2012 FIFA Puskás Award and finished runners-up behind Miroslav Stoch. He won the 2012 South American Footballer of the Year, retaining his award and winning it ahead of the likes of Ronaldinho.[62]
2013: Final season
Neymar started the 2013 Campeonato Paulista scoring twice in the first match, which ended a 3–1 win over São Bernardo on 19 January 2013.[63] Four days later on 23 January 2013, Neymar scored again against Botafogo in a 3–0 win.[64] On 3 February 2013, in the Paulista fixture against São Paulo, where Santos won 3–1, with Neymar scoring and making two assists.[65] On 18 March 2013, Neymar told that he had a "dream of playing in Europe, for a big club like Barcelona, Real Madrid and Chelsea." But he went on to say, "There's no point in speculating when I'll leave Santos. I'll leave when I want to."[66]
Neymar scored all four goals, had another disallowed and hit the post as Santos beat União Barbarense 4–0 in the Paulista on 13 April.[67] On 25 April 2013, his agent and father revealed that Neymar intended to leave for Europe before the 2014 FIFA World Cup.[68] Ahead of his last match for Santos, on 26 May against Flamengo, Neymar was in tears during the national anthem.[69]
Barcelona
On 24 May 2013, Santos announced that they had received two offers for Neymar. The following day, Neymar announced he would sign with Barcelona on 27 May 2013 and join the team after playing in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup. Neither Neymar nor the clubs released details on the transfer fee or personal terms, save to say he signed a five-year deal.[70] On 3 June 2013, Neymar was unveiled by Barcelona after passing medical tests and signing a contract that would keep him at the club through June 2018.[71]
Neymar was presented at the Camp Nou in front of 56,500 fans, a record turnout for a Brazilian player.[72] Club vice-president Josep Maria Bartomeu initially said Neymar's transfer fee was €57.1 million and his release clause set at €190 million.[73][74] Barcelona's doctor suggested he might need to gain weight to be able to cope physically in Spanish football.[75]
Transfer investigation
In January 2014, the prosecutor's office in Madrid began investigating the transfer fee that Barcelona paid for Neymar.[76] The documents submitted to the authorities on request contained contradictory information.[76] On 23 January 2014, Rosell resigned from his position as president.[77] A day later, the details of the transfer were revealed by Barcelona; the transfer had in fact cost them €86.2 million (£71.5 million),[78][79][80] with Neymar's parents confirmed to have received a €40 million sum.[81][82] In the aftermath, Barcelona and Bartomeu were charged with tax fraud.[83]
2013–14: Adapting to Spain
On 30 July 2013, Barcelona drew 2–2 against Lechia Gdańsk in a pre-season friendly; Neymar made his unofficial debut when he came on as a substitute.[84] He scored his first goal for the club in a 7–1 win against a Thailand XI on 7 August at the Rajamangala National Stadium.[85]
Neymar made his competitive debut for Barcelona during the opening game of the 2013–14 La Liga season as a 63rd-minute substitute for Alexis Sánchez in a 7–0 win against Levante.[86] On 21 August, he scored his first competitive goal for the club in the first leg of the 2013 Supercopa de España against Atlético Madrid: seven minutes after coming on as a substitute for Pedro, he headed Dani Alves' cross to equalise in a 1–1 draw at the Vicente Calderón Stadium as Barcelona won on the away goals rule for his first trophy at the club.[87] On 18 September, he made his UEFA Champions League debut, assisting a Gerard Piqué goal as Barça beat Ajax 4–0 in their opening match of the 2013–14 tournament.
Six days later, Neymar scored his first goal in La Liga in Barcelona's 4–1 defeat of Real Sociedad at Camp Nou.[88] On 26 October, he made his first El Clásico appearance, scoring the opening goal and assisting the team's winning goal scored by Alexis Sánchez as Barcelona beat Real Madrid 2–1 at Camp Nou.[89] On 11 December, Neymar recorded his first three Champions League goals as he scored a hat-trick in a 6–1 win over Celtic in Barcelona's final Group H match.[90]
2014–15: The treble and individual success
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On 13 September 2014, after appearing as a substitute, Neymar scored his first two goals of the 2014–15 season, helping Barcelona beat Athletic Bilbao 2–0. On 27 September, he scored a hat-trick against Granada in a 6–0 win[91] and scored in his next three La Liga matches, including the opening goal in a 1–3 loss to Real Madrid at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu.[92]
On 24 January 2015, Neymar scored twice and assisted two more goals in a 6–0 win at Elche.[93] On 28 January, he scored his 20th goal of the season in a 3–2 Copa del Rey quarter-final win over Atlético Madrid.[94] On 4 March, Neymar scored twice in Barcelona's 3–1 Copa del Rey semi-final win over Villarreal to qualify the club for its 37th Spanish Cup final.[95] On 21 April, Neymar took his tally to 30 goals for the season by scoring twice in Barcelona's 2–0 Champions League quarter-final win over Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).[96]
In May, the closing month of the season, Neymar scored the last goal in a 3–0 win against Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final.[97] A week later, he scored both the team's goals in a 3–2-second leg defeat at the Allianz Arena to ensure Barça would qualify for the 2015 UEFA Champions League Final.[98] He also opened the scoring with a header in a 2–0 league win versus Real Sociedad, a result which gave Barça a four-point lead over Real Madrid with only two matches remaining.[99]
After securing the league title on 17 May with a 1–0 win over Atlético Madrid at the Vicente Calderón, Barcelona defeated Athletic Bilbao 3–1 at Camp Nou in the 2015 Copa del Rey Final on 30 May, with Neymar scoring the second goal for Barça.[100] With Barcelona's victory likely, he performed tricks with the ball in the final stages of the game, which was deemed unsporting by opponent Andoni Iraola. Barcelona manager Luis Enrique claimed that it had to be understood that such behaviour was acceptable in Brazil, while Neymar himself did not apologise.[101]
On 6 June 2015, Neymar scored the third goal for Barça in the 3–1 Champions League Final defeat of Italian champions Juventus at Berlin's Olympiastadion, ensuring the club won its fifth European Cup.[102] This made Barcelona the first club in history to win the treble of domestic league, domestic cup and European Cup twice.[103] On a personal note, he became the eighth player in football's history to win both the Copa Libertadores and the UEFA Champions League, and the first player to score in final victories in both competitions.[104] Neymar ended the season with 39 goals in all competitions and 10 in the Champions League, making him joint highest scorer with Cristiano Ronaldo and teammate Lionel Messi in the latter competition.[105] He was the first player apart from those two to top the competition's scoring list, since compatriot Kaká in 2006–07.[106] Barcelona's attacking trio of Messi, Luis Suárez and Neymar, dubbed "MSN", ended with 122 goals, the most in a season for an attacking trio in Spanish football history.[107]
2015–16: Domestic double
Due to having the mumps, Neymar was expected to miss the 2015 UEFA Super Cup and the 2015 Supercopa de España.[108] On 17 October, Neymar scored four goals in Barcelona's 5–2 home win over Rayo Vallecano in La Liga, taking his total to eight goals for the season.[109] On 21 November, Neymar scored one and provided a back heel assist for Andrés Iniesta in Barcelona's 4–0 away win against Real Madrid.[110] He scored twice in a 4–0 home win over Real Sociedad on 28 November, taking his La Liga total to 14 goals in 12 games.[111] On 30 November, Neymar was shortlisted for the 2015 FIFA Ballon d'Or alongside Messi and Ronaldo, and subsequently came third.[112][113] On 22 May 2016, Neymar scored a late goal in Barcelona's 2–0 extra time win over Sevilla in the 2016 Copa del Rey Final at the Vicente Calderón, as the club celebrated winning the domestic double for the second consecutive season, following their treble victory from the previous season.[114][115] The front three of Messi, Suárez and Neymar finished the season with 131 goals, breaking the record they had set the previous year for most goals by an attacking trio in a single season.[116]
2016–17: Final season
In Barcelona's 6–1 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League round of 16, Neymar had a miraculous and heroic role in Barcelona's return, by scoring two goals and assisted the decisive goal of Sergi Roberto during the closing seven-minute sequence, of which he, was, named man of the match, based on his efforts.[118][119][120] Overcoming the 4–0 loss to PSG in the first leg from 14 February 2017, this second leg match became the biggest comeback in Champions League history.[121]
On 2 April 2017, Neymar scored his 100th goal for Barcelona in his 177th appearance for the club, netting in a 4–1 win over Granada.[122][123] On 27 May, Neymar scored in the 2017 Copa del Rey Final, his 105th goal for the club, as Barcelona defeated Alavés 3–1 at the Vicente Calderón in Madrid.[124]
Paris Saint-Germain
On 3 August 2017, Barcelona announced that Neymar's legal representatives made a payment of €222 million[125] to the club, equal to the release clause of his contract, which constituted the most expensive transfer ever. The club informed UEFA so that they can determine any disciplinary responsibilities that may arise from this case.[8] According to the BBC, in Spain, the release clause must be activated by the footballer himself. The situation was unusual, in that the fee was paid to the club directly, after La Liga had refused to receive the payment.[126][9] Usually, the buyout clause is deposited with La Liga in order to release the player from his contract, and the league then passes the money to the selling club. However, La Liga rejected the payment—citing violation of Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules by PSG, who are backed by money from Gulf state Qatar.[127]
Neymar joined French club Paris Saint-Germain on a contract that would run until 2022.[128] He was offered the number 10 jersey by Javier Pastore as a "welcome gift".[129][130]
Contract breach lawsuit
On 27 August 2017, FC Barcelona filed a lawsuit against Neymar, demanding he return the contract renewal bonus he received as well as €8.5 million in damages and an additional 10% for the arrears. They claimed they are owed money that Neymar received as part of a renewal bonus when he signed a new contract in 2016. The club also requested Paris Saint-Germain to take on the responsibility for the payment of the fees if the player cannot do so himself.[131] Neymar's lawyers announced that they would contest the case.[132]
2017–18: Debut season and domestic treble
Neymar made his debut for Les Rouge-et-Bleu on 13 August 2017, scoring a goal and assisting another in a 3–0 away victory over Guingamp.[133] He added two more goals to his tally in the next Ligue 1 fixture against Toulouse.[134] Forming a prolific attacking trio alongside teenage French prodigy Kylian Mbappé and Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani, Neymar scored one each in PSG's two opening games of the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League group stage, with the team winning 5–0 at Celtic and 3–0 at home over Bayern Munich respectively.[135][136]
During a 3–0 defeat of rivals Marseille on 25 February 2018, Neymar fractured the fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot. He travelled to Belo Horizonte and underwent a successful operation on his foot.[137] He failed to make another appearance for PSG while recovering from the injury, and consequently ended his first season in Paris with 28 goals in 30 matches.[138] Neymar was awarded the Ligue 1 Player of the Year.[139]
2018–19: Injury and league title
On 12 August 2018, Neymar scored PSG's opening league goal of the 2018–19 season in a 3–0 win over Caen at Parc des Princes.[140] Neymar scored from a penalty in his next game as PSG won 3–1 against Guingamp in Ligue 1.[141] In the following league game, the front three of Neymar, Mbappé and Cavani all scored in a 3–1 win over Angers at home, with Neymar scoring from Mbappé's cut back and setting up Cavani to score the opener.[142]
On 3 October 2018, Neymar scored a hattrick in a 6–1 win over Red Star Belgrade in a Champions League group stage fixture.[143] He suffered a foot injury in late January 2019 that kept him out of his side's Champions League round of 16 tie against Manchester United.[144] After United eliminated PSG, Neymar went on Instagram insulting video review officials for awarding a stoppage-time penalty to United. UEFA banned Neymar for three matches for the insult.[145]
On 27 April 2019, Neymar scored in the 2019 Coupe de France Final against Rennes, but Rennes made a comeback and won on penalties. After the match, Neymar was caught on video appearing to punch a spectator in the face. The spectator had been filming and insulting PSG players. PSG said they supported Neymar "100 percent" over the incident.[ Neymar admitted he was wrong, but argued that neither he nor anyone else could have stayed indifferent. PSG coach Thomas Tuchel responded: "It's not easy to climb the stairs after a defeat. If we lose, we must show respect. You can't come into conflict with a spectator."
2019–20: Suspended season, European final
In July 2019, Neymar was absent from training with PSG, with the club talking disciplinary action. Prior to the transfer deadline in late August, Neymar agreed to stay at PSG after talks broke down over a return to Barcelona.
Neymar made his first appearance for PSG in the 2019–20 season on 14 September 2019, in a 1–0 victory over Strasbourg in Ligue 1. He scored the winning goal in injury time in the second half from a bicycle kick. One week later, he again scored a late winner, as PSG defeated Lyon 1–0 at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais.
Neymar suffered a hamstring injury in October while on international duty with Brazil, and returned to play for PSG during their Champions League group match against Real Madrid on 26 November in a 2–2 draw.
Neymar won his third league title after PSG were awarded Ligue 1 as the season finished early due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On 24 July 2020, in Paris Saint-Germain's first professional game back after the pandemic, Neymar scored his side's lone goal in a 1–0 win over Saint-Étienne in the Coupe de France Final, winning his second Coupe de France title with the club. On 31 July, Paris Saint-Germain won the 2020 Coupe de la Ligue Final 6–5 on penalties over Lyon, following a 0–0 draw after extra time, which saw the side complete a domestic treble, with Neymar netting one of the penalties in the shoot-out, In the Champions League quarter-final against Atalanta on 12 August, he assisted the equalising goal in injury time in an eventual 2–1 win. In the semi-final against RB Leipzig, he assisted one goal in a 3–0 victory, which saw PSG reach the Champions League final for the first time in its history; PSG eventually lost out 1–0 to Bayern Munich on 23 August.
2020–21: Contract extension
Neymar missed out on the first match of the 2020–21 season because he had tested positive for COVID-19 a week earlier; PSG went on to lose the game against Lens by a score of 1–0. However, he returned to training before the match against Marseille on 13 September 2020. PSG lost Le Classique for the first time since 2011 as OM were victorious 1–0 in a match that had 14 yellow cards and 5 red cards handed out by the referee, including one of each to Neymar.
Neymar scored his first two goals of the season in a 6–1 win against Angers on 2 October. He entered the list of the top ten goal scorers in PSG history by doing so, scoring his 72nd for the club, which put him level with Raí. On 28 October, Neymar suffered an adductor injury in a match against İstanbul Başakşehir, leaving the pitch after 26 minutes of play. He made his return to action as a substitute in a 3–2 loss against Monaco on 20 November and scored his first goal after recovering from his injury in a 1–0 win against RB Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League on 24 November.
On 28 November, Neymar scored his 50th goal in Ligue 1, converting a penalty in PSG's 2–2 draw against Bordeaux. This made him the fastest player in the club's history to reach 50 league goals, doing so in only 58 matches.[167] Four days later, on 2 December, he scored two goals in a 3–1 Champions League victory against Manchester United at Old Trafford. In PSG's final group match, Neymar scored his third career Champions League hat-trick against İstanbul Başakşehir, as his side won 5–1 and qualified for the knockout stage as group winners. He became the first player in European Cup and Champions League history to score 20 goals for two different clubs, scoring 21 goals for Barcelona in 40 games, and 20 for PSG in 25 games.In a 1–0 loss to Lyon on 13 December, Neymar suffered an ankle injury after a tackle from Thiago Mendes, and had to be stretchered off the field. He avoided a fracture, but was ruled out of action for three weeks with a sprain. His return proved to be exactly one month after his injury, on 13 January 2021, in a 2–1 win over rivals Marseille in the Trophée des Champions, with Neymar scoring the winning goal from a penalty. He sustained a left adductor injury in a 1–0 cup win over Caen on 10 February, ruling him out for four weeks. On 21 March, he was back in action, coming on as a substitute in a 4–2 league win against Lyon.
In the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League, Paris Saint-Germain were eliminated by Manchester City in the semi-finals. Neymar was absent for PSG's defeat of Barcelona, but he was present in both matches of the quarter-finals against Bayern Munich and both semi-final confrontations against Man City. On 8 May, he extended his contract with PSG until 2025.
2021–22: Record-breaking Ligue 1 title and injuries
On 10 August 2021, Neymar's former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi signed for PSG. On 29 August, Neymar made his first appearance of the season, being a starter in a 2–0 win over Reims. Messi replaced Neymar at 66th minute of the match, making his debut for the French club.Neymar scored his first goal of the 2021–22 season on 19 September, converting a penalty in a 2–1 win over Lyon.[179] He scored his 400th career goal on 6 November against Bordeaux, where he scored a brace and helped the team to win the match 3–2.
On 28 November 2021, Neymar suffered an ankle injury in a 3–1 win over Saint-Étienne. He was taken off on a stretcher at the 85th minute of the match. His return from injury came on 15 February 2022 in a Champions League match against Real Madrid, where he came on as a substitute and assisted Mbappé's injury-time goal to win the match 1–0. Four days later, he made his return to league play and his first start in 2022 in a match against Nantes; he scored a goal and missed a penalty in a 3–1 loss at the Stade de la Beaujoire. On 13 March, following their Champions League elimination against Real Madrid in the round of 16, Neymar and his team-mate Messi were booed by some of the PSG fans at the Parc des Princes in the league match against Bordeaux. On 21 May 2022, he scored his 100th goal with PSG in a 5–0 win over Metz. Neymar helped PSG win their record-tying 10th national championship, finishing the season with 13 goals and 8 assists across all competitions, registering the fewest goals scored since arriving in Europe in 2013, in a season marked by various injuries and collective irregularity.
2022–23: Final season at PSG and departure
Following a disappointing form in the previous season and with the club's change in transfer policy, Neymar was linked with a potential departure from the club, but the lack of potential suitors broke down a potential move, despite PSG's Football Advisor Luís Campos dismissing those rumours – stating that Neymar was part of the club's project. He quickly regained his form from his previous season, starting off the season by scoring a goal and providing an hat-trick of assists in a 5–0 win against Clermont on 6 August. As part of his prolific attacking trio alongside Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi, on 21 August, all three scored and assisted with Neymar netting twice and registering three more assists in PSG's 7–1 away win over Lille. After registering 13 goal contributions in his first five league games, Neymar was named Ligue 1's Player of the Month in August.
On 6 March 2023, PSG announced that Neymar would undergo surgery in Doha and would be ruled out for the remainder of the season.This led to Neymar missing PSG's second leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie against Bayern Munich, in which PSG ended up being eliminated. After reports that Messi would leave the club following the expiration of his contract, a group of PSG supporters gathered outside the club's headquarters, protesting against the club's direction and insulting various figures of the club, including Neymar. Another group of individuals went to Neymar's house, demanding him to leave the club.
At the end of the 2022–23 season, the PSG began a squad overhaul and after not renewing the contracts of Sergio Ramos and Lionel Messi, following the arrival of Luis Enrique as the club's new manager, Neymar and Marco Verratti were informed that they would not be in the team's plans for the following season. Shortly after, Neymar was linked with a potential return to Barcelona. However, Barcelona's hierarchy never reached an advanced stage to discuss finer economic details and possibilities, as the club's manager Xavi was not keen on signing him, leading both clubs to fail to reach an agreement
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