Opinion | Neymar’s Instagram meltdown at Manchester United miracle reveals his true colours
- PSG star faces ban over profanity-laden rant at referees after late VAR penalty
- Is the Brazilian upset about his club’s Champions League exit, or more annoyed he won’t get his personal moment of glory?
The tears in Neymar’s eyes at the unfathomable prospect of a shock Paris Saint-Germain exit from the Champions League weren’t out of sadness and sympathy for his teammates.
Dressed in his flashy gear with astonished anger written all over his face as the last seconds of added time ticked down, it was an instant iconic image.
No, the Brazil star wasn’t sad because he was about to see his chances of winning the Ballon d’Or slip out of his fingers. Again.
He’s 27 now. Leaving Barcelona for Paris was meant to be the moment he stepped out of Lionel Messi’s shadow to become the best player in the world.
But it hasn’t quite happened. He can win all the trinkets he wants in a one-team French league, but PSG have confirmed their position as Europe’s perennial chokers.
Neymar was powerless to do anything about PSG’s latest gaffe, a 3-1 home defeat by Manchester United in the last-16 of Europe’s top club competition. Sat injured in the stands, he had to watch as the 2-0 first leg advantage was doused out in the rain, capped by an injury time VAR-assisted penalty slammed home by Marcus Rashford.