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It has been around two months since that terrible injury put Neymar's 2018 World Cup hopes on hold. Fortunately, the odds are in favor of him. He is expected to return in May just in time to start preparations for the World Cup.
Despite his heroics for the French side PSG, who have won Ligue 1, thrashing Monaco last week, his season is largely seen as a disappointment, all thanks to their recent defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League.
Eyebrows were raised when Neymar left Barcelona this summer for the French side PSG on a record-breaking deal. The reason for his departure in his own words was "wanting to take up more challenges".
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Conversely, the reason as seen by many was to move out of Messi's shadow, to do the seemingly impossible by winning the UCL with PSG, and thus secure the prestigious Ballon d'Or.
There was a hue of gallantry in his departure. The dreamed-about outcome was fairytale-like in its implausibility. A lone warrior overturning the fortunes of a team, taking them on his shoulders to the top of Europe and securing them a place among the elites. Who wouldn't love to see such a fabled ending to the Champions league?
But, we all know how it ended for PSG and notably for Neymar as he watched from the stands their loss to Real Madrid. That was the extent of his journey, that was the end of his UCL dreams.
With reports pouring from all quarters on his possible departure to Real Madrid, here are 5 reasons why Neymar should leave PSG and join Los Blancos.
#1 Lack of competition in Ligue 1
The fact that no Ligue 1 team won the Champions League so far speaks volumes about the incompetence of the teams in the French League. Apart from PSG and Monaco no other teams even made it to the quarterfinals of the competition. As a matter of fact, the French League is not good enough for a world-class player like Neymar.
He has played with ease, dribbled past defenders with indifference and scored effortlessly in most of the games he started in Ligue 1.
He has bagged 19 goals in his 20 appearances for PSG and assisted 13. However, those statistics do not have the impact it seems to have. The teams he played against were miles away in terms of the quality. Even the Ligue 1 title is nothing to boast about. Had it been Premier League or La Liga, he would have been branded a Legend by now and would have been the favorite to win the Ballon d'Or.
The only stage he had to show his talents to the world was Champions League. He has scored 6 goals in 7 appearances for the club in the competition. Still, when it was high time to prove his worth, he got injured. In the absence of their talisman, PSG went down to Real Madrid, without even a fight.
If he joins Real and leads them to La Liga glory next season, that will be a feather on his cap, especially in the wake of Real's recent struggle in La Liga.
#2 PSG is not good enough for Neymar
Ballon d'Or might be an individual accolade, but no footballer can win it alone. His fellow players should work hard like him, they should keep their confidence level high like him and they should have the mentality to win everything just like him. That is what PSG lacks as a team, the mentality of the winner.
Apart from a set of outstanding players like Mbappe, Cavani, and Verrati, to name a few, PSG proved time and again that they are not Champions League materials.
In the defense, Thiago Silva and Dani Alves are past their prime, and the rest lack the experience to perform at higher levels of the game. Youngsters like Kimpembe and Marquinhos are finding it difficult to keep their nerves against strong oppositions as they face only a few such teams in Ligue 1.
Also, PSG is still short of a quality holding midfielder and it proved costly in their recent defeat to Real in UCL.
They tend to struggle, make unforced errors, and fade out completely in high stake games just like they did at Bernabeu. There is a limit to what even a player like Neymar can do alone in those kinds of situations.
It doesn't matter how well he plays, it is the achievements of his team based on which he will always be measured.
Analysing the previous Ballon d'Or winners, it is safe to say that the player who won most prestigious team accolade has always been given an edge over others. In such circumstances, it will be difficult or almost impossible for Neymar to win the Ballon d'Or unless a huge revamp takes place in PSG.
Unlike PSG, Real Madrid is a team acquainted with the ins and outs of winning the Champions League. Los Blancos have won the UCL in the last two terms and are the favorites to win it this time too. Siding with the Spanish side will surely turn out to be a perk in his quest for Ballon d'Or.
#3 The Unai Emery factor
It is said that the mentality of a manager is reflected in the way his players perform on the field. In the wake of last two Champions League exits that seems true about Unai Emery and PSG. Last year's defeat to Barcelona even after having a four-goal advantage in the first leg was nothing short of a disaster.
The former Sevilla boss has been a weak presence in the dugout, erring even when he should not, making soft and safe decisions in high-pressure situations and failing to motivate the team after an unexpected turn of events.
Playing under a manager scared to take risks is not going to help Neymar win anything precious, let alone Ballon d'Or.
On the contrary, Zidane is an inspiring presence for Real. He has done a great job in keeping the morale of the team high even after a disastrous first half of the season. Working with Zidane will surely make Neymar a more complete player than he is now.
#4 It presents him an opportunity to outclass Messi
Signing for Real Madrid will give the ex-Barcelona man a stage to face-off with Messi. It will present him an opportunity to outclass La Pulga in the Spanish League.
For a long time, Barcelona has been a team built around Messi. When Neymar joined the Catalans from Santos, he played second fiddle to the Argentine. At Barcelona, he was not given a free role as he would have liked. It was Messi's Barcelona, not his.
Once he joins Real, he will become the center of attention. Presumably, he will take up the playmaking role from Isco. He will be the one pulling the strings and he will have a set of exceptional players around him at Real Madrid. That is all Neymar needs to thrive and grow.
If Real Madrid wins the La Liga and Champions League after his arrival, he will mostly be branded the best playmaker in the world and the Ballon d'Or will be up for grabs.
#5 Cristiano Ronaldo
The 33-year-old Portuguese now lacks the blistering pace he once had. We are seeing less and less of those runs with the ball, those deceptive knuckleballs and awe-inducing showboating as the years pass by.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been transformed from a brilliant playmaker to an unstoppable target man.
This change in position of the flying Portuguese will come to the aid of Neymar. That will eliminate the probable conflict between these two players. Unlike his stint at Nou Camp, he will retain his position as the creative midfielder of the team.
Neymar and Ronaldo can form a mutually beneficial relationship, where one provides and other scores. Considering his age, Ronaldo doesn't have many years left in him to compete for the Ballon d'Or, but he can assist Neymar to secure one.
With one of the best footballers in the world to look up to in moments of distress, who can draw defenders and change the fate of the game in the wink of an eye, Neymar will be able to play a more relaxed and free role in the midfield.
