On the shirt Neymar is wearing, there is an image of Vinicius Jr. during his time playing for Real Madrid, including the moment when the player kissed the trophy of the 2021/22 UEFA Champions League. This was the season when Real Madrid defeated PSG in the round of 16 before going on to claim their 14th European title.
Neymar’s action has received criticism. “Has he forgotten the disappointment of PSG’s loss to Real in the previous season?” one fan remarked. “Neymar probably doesn’t want to win the Champions League with PSG,” another mocked.
In the round of 16 of the 2021/22 Champions League, PSG won 1-0 in the first leg and maintained a 1-0 lead in the second leg. However, the Ligue 1 representatives allowed Real Madrid to score three goals in a span of 17 minutes, from the 61st to the 78th minute, all by Karim Benzema, resulting in a 2-3 defeat on aggregate.
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Perhaps for Neymar, it was just a friendly gesture between fellow countrymen. Previously, Neymar had shown strong opposition when he witnessed Vinicius facing racial discrimination from the Spanish media.
Furthermore, the PSG forward believes that his younger compatriot Vinicius Junior “should be at least in the top 3” in the 2022 Ballon d’Or voting.
“Benzema deserves the Ballon d’Or title this year. He is a top player,” Neymar wrote on his social media page. “But for Vinicius Jr to be in 8th place is nothing but a joke. He should at least be among the top 3 best players.”
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Vinicius was once considered a player with limited potential at Real Madrid. However, in the 2021/22 season, he unexpectedly shone by scoring 23 goals and providing 20 assists. Vinicius, along with “Los Blancos,” won both La Liga and the Champions League.
