In soccer, there has always been a debate about who is the best player in the world. Fans across the globe mostly select between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi for the past years now and we can not blame anyone because the two mentioned players have been making football more interesting to watch.
However, at some point, fans started pushing Neymar Jr, Brazil forward into the goat’s debate, yet, most fans feel that the PSG star is not worth being compared with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
In his prime, Neymar was a promising superstar who had won major trophies with the likes of Lionel Messi, Luiz Suarez, Kylian Mbappé, and other superstars.
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Meanwhile, those who would want to stake on Neymar having a better season than any of the ones that will be mentioned below can leverage other betting options at any Canadian real money online casino to try their luck and see if they will end up on the winning side or not. The player’s destination next season will also play a part in how the bet goes.
Regardless, I would like you to take a look at Neymar’s best seasons as I will be ranking them in this article, then from there, you can deduce if the Brazilian is worth being compared to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Neymar’s 7 Best Seasons
1. 2014/2015 Season
- Club: FC Barcelona
- Games: 51
- Goals: 39
- Assists: 10
Undoubtedly, the 2014 – 2015 season was the best season Neymar Jr had but why is it his best? Let us have a flashback to his 2014 – 15 season. Neymar was one of the driving forces at Barcelona alongside the likes of Lionel Messi and Luiz Suarez in 2014 – 2015.
The Neymar, Messi, and Suarez duo was regarded as The MSN strike force which was better enough to bring down the walls of the top team’s defense.
In the 2014 – 2015 season, Neymar played on the left-forward side for Barcelona and bagged 39 goals and 10 assists in 51 games.
He helped Barcelona to win a sensational treble starting from La Liga and cup titles with wins over Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao.
Afterward, the Spanish giant aimed for the UEFA Champions League which was against Juventus in the final. Neymar displayed a great performance in the game as he comfortably bagged the last goal for Barcelona to make it 3-1. Well, it was Neymar’s first UEFA Champions League trophy.
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2. 2015/2016 Season
- Club: FC Barcelona
- Games: 49
- Goals: 31
- Assists: 25
As a soccer fan who has been watching La Liga, you should already be rating this season among the best seasons in the league. The two most successful teams, Real Madrid and Barcelona had many entertaining moments to pass to the fans.
Well, not just that both teams were performing at a top level, but their stars were equally giving the fans reasons they should not miss any La Liga match that season.
For Barcelona, it was one of their best seasons due to how ambitious and hungry they were with their dominance in La Liga and Europe.
Neymar Jr alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez formed the most deadly duo in soccer known as The MSN trio. Neymar bagged a total of 56 goals contribution that season in 49 games for Barcelona.
He helped the team win a domestic double and a UEFA Super Cup final against Sevilla. In that season, The MSN set a record for the most goals scored in a single campaign after breaking the one they set in 2016.
3. 2019/2020 Season
- Club: Paris Saint-Germain(PSG) FC
- Games: 27
- Goals: 19
- Assists: 12
Not just soccer but the whole world was traumatized by the deadly virus, Covid-19. Well, for Neymar and PSG, it was a sensational season.
Also, this season might be seen as another season the Parisians sadly let go of the UEFA Champions League against Bayern Munich. To add to their trophy cabinet, PSG won the domestic treble despite Covid threats that stopped the Ligue 1 race.
The PSG side was very dangerous after taking down Borussia Dortmund, Atalanta, and RB Leipzig to reach the European Cup final, only to bow to Robert Lewandowski’s side, Bayern Munich.
It was so sad to watch Neymar not being able to help his team to their first UEFA Champions League final win despite him having a beautiful season.
4. 2009/2010 Season
- Club: Santos FC
- Games: 48
- Goals: 14
- Assists: 10
Heading back I when and where Neymar Jr started his professional career, Santos FC. Well, a player’s first season is indeed likely to be a player’s testing and most joyful season. For Neymar, it was the same thing.
No one acknowledged him except for the Brazilians who are always confident in their players due to a belief that they are all birthed with talents.
Making his professional debut for Santos FC much was not required from him except for him to impress the team, the fans, and his family. As of then, he was only 17 years old and started as a young winger from the onset and earned praise from the fans which quickly made him fans’ favorite.
He played in 48 matches across all competitions for the team and scored 14 and 10 assists which earned him a place in the team’s starting XI.
5. 2017/2018 Season
- Club: Paris Saint Germain(PSG) FC
- Games: 30
- Goals: 28
- Assists: 16
Following an impressive season at Barcelona, PSG could no longer hesitate on paying much for the Brazilian forward. Paris Saint-Germain who just got eliminated from the Champions League saw Neymar’s best and thought it was the best to sign him.
The club’s objective was for the Barcelona former star player to help them win the ultimate prize, UEFA Champions League. Before now, Neymar Jr was the driving force of PSG who expected him to single-handedly win the UEFA Champions League.
In his debut season for the Parisians, he helped the team win every competition in France despite being denied continental triumph by Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League round of 16.
Although it was a disappointing season, Neymar Jr surprised the fans by scoring 28 goals in 30 appearances and 16 assists. Moreover, it would have been more than that if the player did not pick up an injury towards the end of the season.
6. 2016/2017 Season
- Club: FC Barcelona
- Games: 45
- Goals: 20
- Assists: 26
The 2016/2017 season had Neymar Jr waving goodbye to Barcelona fans. It was so sad to watch The MSN trio breaking apart due to the huge amount of money that was presented by PSG for the talented player.
The team had a rough start at the beginning of the season. For the 2016/2017 season, Neymar Jr will always be remembered as ‘La Remontada’ by Barcelona fans.
Against PSG in the first leg at the Parc des Princes UEFA Champions League, the knockout stage was a terrible display from the Barcelona squad. The fans demanded a response in the second leg of the tie, though did not expect their side to overcome the scoreline.
PSG striker Edinson Cavani’s strike made things more difficult in the second half, yet Barcelona still proved why they were noted as Spanish giants.
Neymar turned it on in the last 45 minutes of the game, scoring two important goals and assisting another as Barca completed one of the most iconic comebacks in soccer history. The match is the one which Barcelona supporters refer to as ‘La Remontada’ (The Comeback).
7. 2010/2011 Season
- Club: Santos FC
- Games: 34
- Goals: 19
- Assists: 8
Lastly, I rate Neymar Jr second season at Santos FC as his 7th best season as a professional footballer. Most fans do not have the idea that this season is one of the best seasons the talented Brazilian had before securing a move to Barcelona.
The Brazilian and his team made an impact on the continental stage which earned him so much praise and a chance to join top clubs in Europe.
In this season, Neymar Jr had much to show, he scored 19 goals and assisted 8 goals in 34 matches.
However, the young star’s best achievement in Santos was winning the FIFA Puskas Award for scoring the best goal in the world that year. The goal was a solo strike by the player against Flamengo. Although he could not secure a win for his side, it was one of the best moments he had with Santos FC fans.