Neymar was in such buoyant mood before kick-off that he predicted to his teammates that Barcelona would deliver an epic comeback in their second leg Champions League showdown against Paris Saint-Germain last Wednesday night.
A 4-0 deficit in the first leg saw mission impossible at the Nou Camp but Neymar had other ideas. Not only did he make a bet with teammates going into the game that Barca would go through, but Spanish radio show Que t’hi jugues (via Sport), say he claimed that he would be on the scoresheet twice – and that his side would progress to the quarter-finals.
And it’s fair to say that Neymar’s bet was extraordinarily spot on, with the striker playing centre stage in Barcelona’s dramatic revival.
The Brazilian forward and his team created history by beating PSG 6-1 in the second leg which completed a staggering 6-5 aggregate turnaround never seen before in Europe’s elite competition.
Neymar provided his team a lifeline in the 88th minute and rallied the Barca troops with a wonderful pinpoint free kick that left PSG keeper Kevin Trapp frozen on his feet.
He then stepped up to convert an injury-time penalty before beautifully assisting Sergi Roberto’s historic 95th-minute goal in one of the greatest ever comebacks in sporting history.
For a victory “defined by faith” according to Barcelona boss Luis Enrique, the Catalans rose from the dead inspired by the man who never stopped believing. “As long as there’s a one percent chance, we’ll have 99 percent faith,” said Neymar before a ball had been kicked in Barca’s stunning revival.
Neymar hasn’t always had the easiest time since swapping Santos for Spain three-and-a-half years ago. The murky series of contracts that sealed his transfer have seen Neymar, his father and Barcelona dragged through the courts on corruption and tax evasion charges.
Yet, it is for nights like Wednesday that Barca paid millions to recruit and then renew Neymar’s contract till 2021 in October.