Although Cristiano Ronaldo’s presence also drew a lot of attention, all eyes were on Neymar when Paris Saint-Germain faced Al-Nassr in a friendly in Japan this Tuesday (25). For the first time in five months, the Brazilian was able to set foot on a playing field again.
In a Ligue 1 match against Lille in February, the former Barcelona player suffered a serious, season-ending ankle injury. After several months of recovery after undergoing surgery, many fans were eager to see him in action again. Luis Enrique made nine changes, but preferred to preserve Ney, who watched the goalless draw from the bench at the Yanmar Nagai Stadium.
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A crucial season for Neymar
Although he was the subject of an endless amount of rumors this summer, Neymar’s future seems to be in Paris, at least for one more season. His contract expires only in 2027, so he still has time to show the club that he is worth the 222 million euros invested in him six years ago. In addition, the reunion with Luis Enrique, who led him in Barcelona, would be a key reason for his continuity in France.
Neymar is approaching an expected comeback after a long time, but the coach chose to take it little by little. A decision that makes sense, since there was not much at stake in the last friendly. The Brazilian is already 31 years old and has a complicated history of injuries, so it is understandable that the Spanish strategist prefers to be prudent and wait to make him enter.
PSG will have two more friendlies in the Asian country. On Friday (28) they will face Cerezo Osaka, and on Tuesday, August 1 they will clash with Inter Milan. Their last preparation game will be the following Thursday (3) against Jeonbuk Hyundai in South Korea.
