Neymar’s performance last night in PSG’s dramatic 2-1 win against Atalanta was a joy to watch.
The brilliant Brazilian grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck and practically dragged PSG to the finish on his own.
Marquinhos and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting may have grabbed the last few goals to overturn Mario Pasalic’s opening, but it was Neymar the architect behind the win.
The 28-year-old has now scored 35 goals and a further 23 assisted in his 58 Champions League appearances, a phenomenal record.
He lives on the big stage and we decided to try and rank Neymar’s seven best performances in his Champions League career.
7. PSG vs Liverpool, 2018
We would have included Neymar’s hat-trick against Red Star Belgrade in seventh place, but opted for his brilliant performance against Jurgen Klopp’s Reds in the same season.
The Brazilian haunted Liverpool’s defense, finishing a devastating 2-0 counterattack on the night.
Even the great Virgil van Dijk couldn’t live with Neymar’s pace and ingenuity.
6. Barcelona vs Celtic, 2013
Neymar’s first hat-trick in the competition came in Barcelona’s 6-1 win against Celtic in the 2013/14 group stage.
The Brazilian had only arrived at the club that summer but took center stage in a Blaugrana formation without Lionel Messi.
He also claimed the assist for Pedro Rodriguez’s goal: a complete performance.
5. PSG vs Borussia Dortmund, 2020
Neymar’s bizarre taunt against Dortmund’s Erling Haaland following PSG’s 2-0 win in March was in bad taste, but his performance on the pitch was anything but.
The Brazilian scored the first goal of the match with a header to put the French in the driver’s seat and haunted Dortmund’s defense the whole time.
When at his best, Neymar is practically unstoppable and PSG’s place in the quarter-finals this season is largely down to their main man.
4. Barcelona vs Juventus, 2015
Only the best show up on the biggest stage of all.
Neymar did just that against Juve in the 2015 final, scoring the crucial third goal to secure Barca’s fifth European Cup and second hat-trick.
Juve failed to manage it and it was probably the night that saw the Brazilian crowned third best player on the planet.
3.PSG vs Atalanta, 2020
Neymar’s virtuoso performance last night ranks third on our list.
The Brazilian completed 16 dribbles in total, equaling the Champions League record and claiming the assist for Marquinhos’ equalizer.
Without Neymar, PSG would pack their bags and return to the French capital today.
2. Bayern Munich vs Barcelona, 2015
Barca actually lost this match at the Allianz Arena 3-2, but don’t let Neymar’s brilliance distract you that night in Bavaria.
The Brazilian scored two decisive away goals to put an end to any hope of a comeback from Bayern after Blaugrana’s 3-0 first leg.
Bayern’s defense was torn apart by the brilliant trio of Neymar, Messi and Luis Suarez: poetry in motion.
1. Barcelona vs PSG, 2017
One of the most famous individual performances in Champions League history and it’s hard to see Neymar in the lead.
With the score 3-1 and Barca almost out, the Brazilian went into superhuman mode and completed perhaps the greatest comeback ever seen in European football.
He made it 4-1 with a laser free-kick, before giving hope to the Barca fans with his second game from the spot.
Then, practically with the last kick of the match, Neymar showed outrageous composure to slip the ball into Sergi Roberto’s trajectory in the running for the 6-1.
When the Brazilian reattaches his boots, he will become one of the greatest players ever in the Champions League.
Now looking to join an exclusive club of players who have won the competition with two clubs and with Neymar in the form he is in, PSG has a serious chance of European glory.
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