For many reasons, 2020 was one to forget especially in the football world. The coronavirus pandemic took a major toll on the sport such that the Ballon d’Or for 2020 was cancelled. In the same vein, the Samba Gold Award for 2020 was also pushed further to account for what has been a tough past year in the football world.
After much consideration and debate, PSG superstar Neymar is the latest to scoop the prestigious prize.
The forward has now won the Samba Gold for the fourth time, a feat which now leaves him as the most successful recipient of the award. Thiago Silva comes in second place, having won it three times so far.
For Neymar, the award comes after a successful 2020 where he led PSG to the Champions League finals. Injuries might have limited his appearances but he featured 30 times across all competitions for the French giants, scoring 23 goals and registering 12 assists in the process.
He beats Lyon’s Bruno Guimaraes and Real Madrid’s Casemiro, who finished in second and third place respectively.
This season, Neymar has continued his good form for last term and has already scored 15 goals, alongside another 12 assists in 27 appearances so far. However, injuries have once again limited his performances and he could have recorded way better numbers.
While the PSG forward once again missed the chance to deliver the ‘holy grail’ of the Champions League for his side, he would be motivated to carry on his best foot, with the Copa America just around the corner.
As it stands, Neymar has been one of the top Brazilians performing in Europe since the turn of 2021 and he could yet be a strong favorite to win the award once again next year.
