Paris: Neymar left Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) 12 months ago in a bid to move out of Lionel Messi’s shadow and confirm his status as one of the world’s best players, but the Brazilian may have to share the mantle of talisman with teenage prodigy Kylian Mbappe this season.
The French champions start the defence of their Ligue 1 title against Caen at the Parc des Princes Stadium here, Sunday, and all eyes will be on Neymar after he missed the final three months of last term with a foot injury.
Neymar said recently his aim is to win titles with PSG after rumours surfaced about a possible move to Real Madrid.
“I have a contract and people know the objective, the reason why I went to PSG. I want to win with this club and I hope this season will be wonderful,” he said.
Neymar returned in time for the World Cup, but failed to inspire Brazil to a record-extending sixth title as they suffered a 1-2 quarterfinal loss to Belgium.
Mbappe, on the other hand, was named as the tournament’s best young player after scoring four goals – including two in a scintillating individual performance against Argentina – to help France lift the trophy.
The 19-year-old capped it off by becoming only the second teenager in history after Pele to score in a World Cup final, netting in the 4-2 victory over Croatia in Moscow.
New arrival Gianluigi Buffon said that Mbappe can follow in Pele’s footsteps by becoming an all-time great, having played against his then-Monaco team in the 2017 Champions League semifinals for Juventus.
“When I spoke (after the match) with (Juve centre-back) Andrea Barzagli, who is one of my great friends, he told me ‘Gigi, in 20 years of my career I have rarely seen a player run so fast with the ball, I had a hard time stopping him’,” the 40-year-old Buffon told PSG’s club magazine.
“These words are not insignificant because Barzagli, is really a top defender. It’s obvious (Mbappe) has something more than others. I hope he will remain humble and keep this desire to progress and make sacrifices. “If so, he will make a mark in the history of football and write incredible pages of the sport.”