It was the Brazilian who took control of what was a hopeless cause, dragging Barcelona single-handedly to the quarter-finals of the Champions League
“As long as there’s a one percent chance, we’ll have 99 per cent faith,”Neymar wrote on his Instagram feed in preparation for Barcelona’s battle against the impossible.
It might have been an exercise in positive thinking; he might well have believed it. There were reports earlier this week that the playmaker was so convinced of the outcome that he placed a bet with his team mates that he would score two goals against PSG.
He was proven to be a visionary on both counts. Barca got their win, Neymar got his goals. Barca’s players were left with too few fingers to accurately portray the score line in their post-match dressing room selfies.
It was a night on which you can put the analysis tools away. Don’t watch it again and look for coherence. Roll it back if you must to the 88th minute and witness Neymar’s big bang which started a new universe.
There were only those two minutes plus injury time left on the clock at Camp Nou – with Barcelona 3-1 up but still needing three goals – and even the most devoted of Barca fans would have had a hard time summoning any more faith in their prospects of progress.
This had never been done before; a four-goal deficit from the first leg, no away goal, 88 minutes elapsed and still three goals required. Neymar had that faith.
It was not just faith in the divine or in fortune, it was faith in himself. To curl a free-kick as he did beyond the wall and into the top corner would take some doing in a training session. To do it in this kind of environment – a hair’s breadth from elimination – requires future-altering skill.
The debate around who should take the free kicks will continue – whether it’s Neymar or Lionel Messi – but this clutch play will give the Brazilian the upper hand in the upcoming arguments.
Messi then stood to the side and allowed Neymar to take the penalty to put Barca within one of doing the undoable deed. Luis Suarez might well have made the most of Marquinhos’ contact but there was nonetheless a job to be done. He’s missed some penalties for Barca but here was the ultimate example of his maturity, his courage and his dedication to technique.
Neymar has had a tough season. He endured a nightmare spell of three months without a league goal – a run of nine matches that he started. He has had his decision-making faculties repeatedly questioned by critics. He has given away far, far too many balls all season long.
However, against Paris St-Germain, it was Neymar who did more than anyone else to pull them through against the odds. He won the second-half penalty which allowed Messi to bang in Barca’s third. And – crucially – it was his composed assist that permitted Sergi Roberto to score the sixth.
That was his 15th Champions League assist since making his debut in the competition in September 2013. No player has got more and only Cristiano Ronaldo has got as many. It was his eighth this season – a Champions League record in any season since 2003-04.
Many players would panic in that situation and knock it into the box aimlessly. Not Neymar. He rounded Marco Verratti, balanced himself and dinked the most inviting ball of the night into the PSG area. He put it in with a sense of forbearance. He knew that the trajectory of the ball he’d just hit would require a single touch from an onrushing team-mate. It was a clairvoyant’s pass; a pass of destiny and not one of hope.
And now – unthinkably – Barcelona are in the draw for the quarter-finals.
This will be a performance they’ll talk about in Catalonia in 100 years’ time. A penalty, a free kick and an assist don’t sound a huge deal in a 6-1 win but please remember Neymar in your eulogies.
Many had run out of faith in Barca, in Luis Enrique, in Neymar himself. But he saw that one per cent chance and he took it.
The Catalans secured an astonishing 6-1 win at Camp Nou to knock out Paris Saint-Germain and keep their Champions League hopes alive.
“If Paris Saint-Germain scored four, we can score six.”
That is what Luis Enrique said in the pre-match press conference ahead of this match and his team did exactly that to produce perhaps the greatest comeback in football history.
The Barcelona boss was written off and called every name under the sun after the Catalans’ capitulation in the first leg at the Parc des Princes. Since that 4-0 loss, he has announced that he will not continue in the summer and in many ways, the pressure was off.
Could Barca really do it? The Blaugrana beat Sporting Gijon 6-1 last Wednesday and then thrashed Celta Vigo 5-0 at the weekend. Paris Saint-Germain would be a different test, but belief was building. “Yes we can,” the supporters sang on Saturday.
And yes they did. Luis Suarez scored inside three minutes to give Barca a dream start and an own goal from Layvin Kurzawa before half-time made it 2-0 at the break. The comeback was on. And when Lionel Messi added another from the penalty spot four minutes after the interval, it looked like Barca would go on to achieve a historic turnaround.
But then PSG scored. Edinson Cavani’s fine finish meant it was now 5-3 on aggregate, but Barca needed three because of the away goal. The Uruguayan’s strike knocked the stuffing out of the Catalans for a while – but they never stopped believing.
Perhaps Luis Enrique’s words were ringing in their ears. “If PSG scored four, we can score six.” Now they needed to do just that, but time was running out and when Neymar hammered home a fantastic free-kick with two minutes left, Barca still had to convert twice more.
Suarez then earned a penalty in the final minute, which Neymar netted. PSG complained, but to no avail and Barca threw everything at the French champions through five minutes of added time as even Marc-Andre ter Stegen piled forward.
Again Neymar’s contribution was vital as the Brazilian produced a perfect delivery into the box for Sergi Roberto (who had been exposed by PSG in the first leg) to apply the finish. Emery grimaced as the Camp Nou erupted. History had been made.
Asked about Barca’s 4-0 loss in Paris, former coach Pep Guardiola said last month: “Be careful not to criticise Barca and Luis [Enrique] too much – because they may end up proving you wrong.”
And they did just that in incredible circumstances. This was wonderful, magical, unbelievable – the greatest comeback in the history of the Champions League and perhaps in the history of football itself.
What a game. What a night. What a turnaround. And as Alex Ferguson said after his Manchester United side turned it around at this same stadium with two late goals against Bayern Munich to win the 1999 Champions League final:
Why do we doubt in Leo Messi’s capacity to pull off the impossible? Barcelona vs PSG is not over yet, not till the little Argentine says so
There a number of fascinating stories that explain the origins of the phrase “It ain’t over till the Fat Lady sings”, but my favourite of the lot has got to be the one involving the infamous Alphonse Gabriel Capone, known to you and me as Al Capone. In the early ‘20s opera had swept the United States off her collective feet, and the mob boss was no exception. Back in those days the ending of every opera used to be marked by the appearance of a large lady, a sterotypically overweight soprano who would proceed to sing the aria that would close out the night.
As the story goes, Capone was enjoying one of his regular nights out at the opera when during a lull in proceedings, the two bodyguards accompanying him figured the whole shebang was over and got up to escort their boss out. Not one to overcomplicate things, the don grabbed them by their coattails, dragged them down, and growled: “Siddown… It ain’t over till the fat lady sings”
ORDER
A couple of years back, there was an immensely illuminating piece of television when Thierry Henry went on Sky Sports and explained the Pep Guardiola way of football, his famous ‘philosophy’ :
I wanted to be clever, like we all try do sometimes. You kind of don’t listen to your manager… because you didn’t touch the ball for a little while and you’re like okay… they’re enjoying football over there, let me try and see if I can be a part of it. So me being me, I went there (here he indicates that he drifted in from the left of the field to the right – like he used to do at Arsenal) a couple of times to play with Leo [Messi]… a one-two or whatever it was and I could here him [Guardiola] being upset on the side because I wasn’t on the side of the dugout. I still went there. I didn’t really care, you know… I scored a goal, 1-0 up against Sporting Lisbon. Come back at half-time, [feeling] all nice and everything, he took me off.”
No word quite describes the the enigmatic Catalan’ reign at Barcelona – the four years that thrust him, and his club on to the plinth of greatness, as they became the touchstone of all that is ‘good’ and ‘pure’ about football – quite like… Order.
Order, not as in authoritative command, but as in “the arrangement or disposition of people or things in relation to each other according to a particular sequence, pattern, or method.” One of the world’s greatest forwards had been take off because he had not listened to Guardiola, because he hadn’t respected his plan. Because he had disrupted the ‘order’.
Henry called it, or rather said that Guardiola called it, the three Ps – “Play, Possession and Position”.. with the latter being the most important. Guardiola did, of course, give his attackers freedom of movement in the final third, as Henry was careful to repeat multiple times during his explanation, but in the first 2/3rds of the pitch you did exactly as you were told. Ego, Superstardom, Creative Expression were all subjugated to the all encompassing will of the ‘order’ that Guardiola wanted to see in his side.
The five years since his departure, though, have been a slow descend down the slope, the ‘order’ regressing day by day till it become utter into…
CHAOS
Before Guardiola took over, the overpowering theme of Barcelona was Chaos, at times it used to beautiful – like those two magnificent years when Ronaldinho created joy on the Camp Noupitch – but for the most part, it was left to the individual sparks of talent to catalyse success. Ever since his departure, though, it’s been just that. A slide into Chaos.
The mere fact that a vast majority do not recognise this is a testament to the strength of the ‘order’ instilled in the Guardiola years, and how that has affected our perception of Barcelona. It wasn’t immediate or overnight, but the truth of the slide is undeniable. When Xavi Hernandez was still around, there was a semblance of it, but by now it has descended into total chaos.
Yes, there are still incredibly successful – winner of La Liga in three of those five years, they’ve won the Copa Del Rey twice and they’ve won one UEFA Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup apiece – but they’ve made the papers more for their off-field antics. Tax-evasion scandals have enveloped their players, and the controversial transfer of Neymar Jr. threatens to become the ‘sports-law-case’ of the year.
From being proudly unsponsored, they went to having Qatar Airways emblazoned on thier bosoms. From being the saviours of football – investing, and trusting, in the youth system – they’ve gone to becoming more galactico obssessed than Real Madrid themselves.
They’ve changed managers with an alacrity that would have shocked the most trigger happy Chairmen in the world and it appears that their own players have now forced their own coach to tender his resignation, before the season even ended.
And yet, they’ve always maintained one thing, at times giving just a tiny sliver of hope (like today), but enough to pull them through the darkest days. They’ve always had…
FAITH
You may be wondering, if you’ve gotten this far, as to what the blue hell I am on about. Nothing that has been talked about in the title have been talked about in the 800 or so words that have preceded this. That is because I wanted to give you context, and show to you just how much the overlaying patterns of order and chaos and the all-encompassing nature of the club itself has seized the narrative and removed our focus from the most important underlying element of them all.
The main character.
Throughout this decade of tumultous upheaval from ‘Chaos’ to ‘Order’, and back again, the one thing that has remained constant is the ‘Faith’ that they’ve had in said main character of the 21stcentury edition of the Barcelona story.
It’s the faith that drove Carles Rexach to lay his career on the line and sign a contract on a serviette stating that Barcelona would abide by everything they had promised him and his father, despite – and these are his exact words – “despite the existence of some opinions against it“.
It’s the faith that made an in-the-doldrums Barcelona shell out nearly $1,000-a-month, money they didn’t really have, for the growth hormones that the little lad from Rosario so desperately needed. It’s the faith that convinced a beleagured Joan Gaspart, under fire after Luis Figo had left – to join the enemy – that summer, to pay $50,000 annualy to Jorge, his dad, so that the family would stay in Catalonia.
It’ s the faith that Frank Rijkaard showed to hand el mudo, the mute one, his full senior debut before he had even come of age. It’s the faith that allowed Ronaldinho to scoop a glorious lob into his path for him to score his first goal. It’s the faith that convinced Pep Guardiola to introduce an element of chaos into his almost manic obsession with order. It’s the faith that millions have had that despite all the chaos around him, he would maintain order.
It’s this faith that everyone has had – for more than a decade and a half – in the main character that has made Futbol Club Barcelona the pre-eminent sporting team on the planet…
Faith in Lionel Messi.
“Mes que un club”, Guardiola and Enrique, Laporta and Bartomeu, and everyone in between, Hell! the grand ol’ club herself… all have merely been distractions to the greatest show on Earth – a littlle Argentine with a football, and with it, the world, at his feet.
IT AIN’T OVER…
We have written so much about him – newspaper headlines have ranged from “Unbelievable. Unrivalled. Unrepeatable. Spectacular. Marvellous. Wonderful. Genial. Incredible” to “Messi is the God of football“. They’ve gone from “Stratospheric. Magical. Divine. Generous. Extraordinary.” to the rather interesting “ET,was born in Rosario and plays in Barcelona.” – and yet we haven’t said nearly enough.
It’s a stupid thought, an oxymoronic opinion, even, but we really ought to say more, write more, be wowed more.
Part of it though, is because he has ruined it for us. Ruined the spectacular by making it mundane, regular. Spoiled us by the mind-numbing efficiency of his work. Lulled us into a stupor with the simplicity of his game – there are no stepovers, no fancy elasticos, no pirouettes on the ball – there’s just him, his left foot, and the ball sticking to him… jogging alonsgide him like a faithful dog. Even the one piece of showboating he does, the panna – the nutmeg – he does with such ruthless regularity that we’ve stopped being amazed by it.
How stupid of us.
While this combination of diruption of focus due to the larger picture and the utter inevitability of Messi’s genius has dulled us to his threat, to his ability to turn that stupid Adidas tagline ‘Impossible is nothing’ from a figment of an advertiser’s imagination to a slice of cold, hard reality, there’s another thing that has lead almost everyone to respond with variations of “Balls” when asked whether Barcelona can overturn the 4-0 deficit that
No, not just the fact that it has never been done before (the closest anyone has got to doing it in the Champions League is when Deportiva La Coruna, Super Depor, overturned a 4-1 deficit at home against mighty AC Milan), but the fact that we humans are a sadistic race. There is nothing we enjoy quite as much as the phenomenon of building up our heroes, putting them on pedestals high above us, before tearing it all down with rapid viciousness.
The game against PSG was the lowest point of his Barca career, the one day he didn’t turn up – but then again, you’ve got to forgive a man having an offday, especially when it’s his first in a decade. What followed has been brutal, as neutrals and fans of rivals taunted, teased, and mercilessly dragged Messi down to our level. And we can’t wait for him to fail tonight. You see, it’s not the putting on pedestal bit that give us most satisfaction, it’s the tearing down bit. We can’t wait to see him become one of us again…. a mere mortal.
He may not do it, but the man… who has seven goals in three champions league matches this season, who has scored five in a single CL knockout game before, who is semingly at ease with the world once again… will surely give it a good ol’ go.
As neutrals, he’s never betrayed our faith in his ability to make sure his team is in the game no matter what the scenario, and it would be utterly stupid of us, and of his opposition, to think that this game is a foregone conclusion.
Be warned PSG, as Al Capone would have drawled in that Italian-American accent of his if he were around today..,
“Hello, this is the best ever. What do you want? Solo goals, assists, freekicks, penalty, right footed goals, left footed goals, headers?” pic.twitter.com/kFBskvfxeg
Neymar: “We will see a big game on Wednesday. We don’t know if we will win, but I promise you we will give our all and fight till the end.” pic.twitter.com/FPd0ubjy43
The Argentine reacted to his first goal with a cryptic phone celebration aimed at the directors’ box
Lionel Messi knows how to make a point. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner rarely uses gestures or quotes in the media to air his grievances, but when he is unhappy about something he makes it known.
So when the Argentine attacker pointed to the directors’ box and made a phone sign with his hand to his ear after opening the scoring with a stunning strike in the first half against Celta Vigo on Saturday, it was a significant moment.
Because while Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu has repeatedly claimed that Messi will finish his career at the Catalan club, there has been little progress made when it comes to a new contract for the 29-year-old forward.
Neymar and Luis Suarez have both signed new deals in the past few months, but the delay in putting together a financial package for their main man has led to some tension at Barcelona, particularly after director Oscar Grau called for “common sense” in the matter earlier this year.
That provoked an angry reaction from Suarez as the Uruguayan told television cameras: “Messi is the best player in the world. What we have to do is to renew his contract, not have common sense.”
The message was clear and, in the Barca dressing room, some of the players cannot understand how the matter has been left this long. And Messi, judging by his gesture and stern expression, did not appear very happy either.
The forward’s current contract expires in 2018, which means Barca have left things extremely late and there have already been reports in Spain claiming the Argentine may walk away for free when his deal runs out in the summer of next year.
That still seems highly unlikely. Messi and his family are happy in Barcelona, while the player has always said he has no intention of quitting the Catalans, except perhaps to end his career with Newell’s Old Boys in Argentina.
Nothing has changed in that respect, but Messi appeared to be calling for more action than words with his celebration vs Celta. It was another astonishing performance that included an assist for Neymar’s delightful lob and another wonder goal in the second half which was perhaps even more impressive than the first.
The Camp Nou crowd have become accustomed to such moments of magic over the years and they will be back at the same stadium on Wednesday to see if Messi can inspire a historic comeback against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
“Hello, this is the best ever. What do you want? Solo goals, assists, freekicks, penalty, right footed goals, left footed goals, headers?” pic.twitter.com/kFBskvfxeg
It remains unlikely, but Barca’s improved form and the success of their 3-4-3 formation in this 5-0 win means they have a chance. Without Messi, however, there would be little hope and Bartomeu should be on the phone as soon as he can after the Argentine’s gesture on Saturday. Because keeping Leo happy is still the absolute key to success for this team.
Boss Luis Enrique has “indestructible faith” that his Barcelona can get back into contention in their Champions League tie with Paris St-Germain.
Barca host the French champions on Wednesday in the last 16 second leg, trailing 4-0 from the game in Paris.
Their last two games have been 6-1 and 5-0 wins in La Liga.
“I couldn’t have scripted two better games for the build-up to PSG. Not just because of the goals but because of how we got them,” said Enrique.
The Barca boss announced he was leaving at the end of the season in the immediate aftermath of a 6-1 thrashing of Sporting Gijon. And they were hugely impressive in Saturday’s 5-0 win over Celta Vigo.
“It was one of our best games of the season and the best of the last two months. And it came at the best time, with the end of the season approaching. This game was a huge boost for us.
“Against PSG we will have the chance to get back into the tie, and we’ll keep going until the very last breath.
“Our challenge is to show that we can be better than PSG. It will be difficult, but I have indestructible faith that we can play great and get right back into contention.”
Right-back Sergi Roberto said: “We are with Luis Enrique till the death, even if he is leaving. We are still in three competitions and we have to fight until the end.”
Former Brazil international Mazinho backed the Barcelona forward to be the world’s best, thanks to the guidance of his team-mate
Barcelona star Neymar will be the world’s best player in the near future thanks to Lionel Messi’s help, according to former Brazil international Mazinho.
Neymar finished third to Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the Ballon d’Or in 2015, while he is also on the shortlist this year.
The 24-year-old guided Brazil to Olympic gold, and his four goals and as many assists in nine La Liga games this season help Barca sit second.
Mazinho, a 1994 World Cup winner, believes it is only a matter of time before Neymar is considered the best in the world.
“Neymar will be the best in the world in the near future,” he told Globo Esporte. “Messi will help him become the best in the world.
“Every great player helps another great player. Messi helps Neymar a lot and Neymar is already one of the best.”
With four goals, Neymar has also been instrumental in helping Brazil make a flying start to World Cup qualifying, with Tite’s men four points clear atop the CONMEBOL standings.
Mazinho hopes the attacker will be ready to lead the nation to their first World Cup since 2002 at Russia 2018.
The Selecao host their great rivals on Thursday when everyone will have to play their part in a contest that will not boil down to Barca vs Barca
Brazil and Argentina lock horns once again this week for the showpiece event of the Conmebol World Cup qualifying campaign.
The match takes on an added significance for the hosts, as they return to the Mineirao stadium in Belo Horizonte for the first time since their infamous 7-1 defeat to Germany at World Cup 2014.
It was also the city that hosted Argentina that year, as they went all the way to the final before going down 1-0 to Brazil’s last-four executioners.
Much of the talk in the build-up has been focused on Barcelona team-mates Neymar and Lionel Messi, who will find themselves on opposite teams. The superstar duo carry the hopes of their nation, but the clash is so much more than just a face-off between two of the game’s greatest individuals.
Both nations have faced continued accusations of an over-reliance on star performers, but under new coach Tite the Selecao appear to have found an answer.
The emergence of Gabriel Jesus has provided a solution to Brazil’s long search for a centre-forward. The teenage sensation is the top scorer under the new boss with four goals in four appearances.
Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho has also forced his way into the team after having spent so long making do with a support role. The former Inter man has been in sparkling form in the Premier League this season and last month won a starting role under Tite, relegating Willian to the bench.
Indeed, a number of those plying their trade in England are expected to take on leading roles in the Superclasico. Sergio Aguero has returned to Manchester City’s starting line-up and will be tasked with firing Argentina past their great rivals.
There will be huge pressure on Aguero, who was singled out for criticism in the Argentine media last month after the ‘hermanos’ slumped to a draw in Peru and a shock 0-1 defeat to Paraguay in Buenos Aires in October.
A sanction for Bolivia (who fielded an ineligible player) saw Chile’s goalless draw turned into a 3-0 victory. It leaves Argentina out of the qualification places in sixth place ahead of the 11th round of fixtures in Conmebol World Cup qualifying.
Gonzalo Higuain will also be expected to find the net with Argentina desperate for goals – only three of the 10 teams on the continent have scored fewer than the 11 Argentina have netted in 10 outings.
The two-time world champions certainly have the firepower, but who will fashion the bullets? Paris Saint-Germain’s Angel Di Maria will be asked to create.
Brazil can also welcome back Douglas Costa, who is hoping to make his first international appearance since March, while midfield maestro Renato Augusto has been one of Brazil’s finest performers since breaking into the team last year and leading the Selecao to Olympic gold in Rio.
Fernandinho will also play a vital role, having impressed in midfield after replacing the injured Casemiro last month, and there will be huge responsibility on Paulinho, who will likely be asked to concentrate on reducing the space in which Messi can work his magic.
The two coaches, too, will play a vital role. Tite is riding high, earning labels of the saviour of Brazilian football, while Edgardo Bauza is on the ropes after winning just one of his four games in charge.
Will Bauza shuffle his pack? Will Tite spring a surprise? It’s the Superclasico: international football’s biggest fixture and everyone will play a part.
Argentina legend Juan Roman Riquelme says La Albiceleste are reliant on Lionel Messi, claiming “any team can beat” them when the Barcelona star doesn’t play.
Falcao back for Colombia
Argentina have won all three of the World Cup qualifiers in which Messi has played, but just one in seven without the 29-year-old.
It has left Edgardo Bauza’s side sixth – outside of the inter-confederation playoff position – in the South American standings, level with Chile and one point clear of Paraguay, ahead of the crucial matches against Brazil and Colombia.
“Let’s hope Messi doesn’t get injured,” Riquelme told FIFA.com. “Because if he does, any team can beat Argentina. We have the best player in the world. It’s logical that when Messi plays, we’re a strong team, and when he doesn’t, we’re average.
“I said that the day that Messi gets injured, we’ll go to being an average team, and they said I was speaking negatively. But when he gets injured and we don’t get points, we beg him to come back.
“It’s always him. We have faith in him. He’s unique. He’s taken us to several finals, which is not easy.”
‘Mourinho better than Pep’
Former Barcelona playmaker Riquelme is wary of the threat posed by Messi’s current teammate Neymar, when Argentina play in Rio de Janeiro on November 10, however.
“Now we have a good opportunity to beat Brazil and gain confidence,” he added. But we’ll suffer there too, because over 90 minutes Neymar will do something, just like Messi.”
The former Arsenal midfielder, who now works as a coach for Pep Guardiola, is alleged to have angered the Barcelona star.
The man responsible for Lionel Messi’s reported tunnel altercation after Manchester City’s 3-1 win over Barcelona on Tuesday night is alleged to be Mikel Arteta.
The Spaniard, who is part of Pep Guardiola’s coaching staff at Man City, reportedly confronted the Barca forward behind the scenes at the Etihad Stadium.
“What are you waiting for?” Spanish TV station La Sexta claim Arteta told Messi in the tunnel. “Go and get changed, asshole.”
Messi, who was reportedly furious with the comment, is alleged to have responded to the former Arsenal midfielder: “Idiot, come over here, don’t run off and hide!”
Arteta, 34, began his professional career at Barcelona but never made an appearance for the first team.
He retired this summer after five years at Arsenal to take a coaching role under Barca legend Guardiola.
Man City midfielder Fernandinho had on Wednesday denied reports that he was the person responsible for triggering an angry reaction from Messi in the tunnel.
Barcelona remains two points clear of Man City in Champions League Group C despite the midweek defeat in which an Ilkay Gundogan double and Kevin De Bruyne free kick canceled out an opening goal from Messi on the counterattack.
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