TONIGHT is the night for Neymar to emerge at last from the shadow of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
That is the verdict of former Bayern Munich midfielder Owen Hargreaves, who would naturally prefer his old club to see off Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Paris Saint-Germain in Lisbon.
Neymar will lead the line for PSG against Bayern Munich
But Hargreaves reckons the Brazilian has a real opportunity in the Champions League final to prove he can succeed Ronaldo and Messi as the best player in the world.
The BT pundit said: “He’s probably the most talented player on the pitch. I don’t think anybody disputes that.
“In pure talent, not many can touch Neymar. There’s only really Messi and Ronaldo.
“That is what has maybe at times, not frustrated people . . . but because he is so gifted, you expect him to produce it all the time.
“He has the talent to be the best player in the world.
“I think that is probably what the idea was in going to PSG — the show was going to be his. Then Mbappe came out of nowhere and almost got ahead of him.
“It’s a huge stage for him. This is what he has dreamed of.”
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated European football in the last decade
Thirtysomethings Messi and Ronaldo, for all their brilliance, were not able to make up for the shortcomings of Barcelona and Juventus when it came to the crunch in the Champions League.
But during the Lisbon mini- tournament, Neymar has shown signs that he has the maturity and the work ethic to help turn underachieving PSG into winners at last.
Hargreaves says the stars could be finally aligning for the striker, now 28, to put his and the French giants’ mark on a big occasion.
Former Manchester United ace Hargreaves said: “The one thing you could say about Cristiano and Messi is, as good as they were and still are, their application to work and improve and be consistent is off the charts.
“Neymar, on his day, is probably the best player in the world — but sometimes it’s not there. You don’t really get that with Ronaldo.
“Even when Juventus went out — what is he, 35? — he was still head and shoulders their best player.
“Maybe it takes time. If you want to be the best player in the world, a lot of people are going to have an opinion on that.
Neymar, on his day, is probably the best player in the world — but sometimes it’s not there. You don’t really get that with Ronaldo.
Owen Hargreaves
“Maybe it takes being 27 for you to realise ‘I’m running out of time’ and a coach to come in at the right time, in Thomas Tuchel, to say, ‘Look, this is it, this is the blueprint’.
“You look at Liverpool, it’s not a coincidence they win the Champions League and then the Premier League.
Owen Hargreaves backed Neymar to jump out of Messi and Ronaldo’s shadow
“You never saw Mo Salah as a pressing machine when he played at Roma. Klopp has made all the boys buy in.
“I think for Neymar, the penny has dropped. For the first time, I’ve seen him actually pressing, working back, not floating. You’ve got to credit Tuchel for that.”
But for PSG to complete an unprecedented quadruple of all three domestic trophies and the Champions League, Tuchel will have to overcome the Bayern Munich juggernaut steered by fellow German Hansi Flick.
Hargreaves makes his old club favourites but says Neymar and Mbappe, within Tuchel’s team framework, can hit Bayern where it hurts.
Ex-England star Hargreaves said: “Normally Neymar does something outrageous and special. But if he can be a team player and work hard, then Bayern give everybody a chance.
“Paris Saint-Germain will get chances. I think Neymar just needs to be sensible and work hard and be part of that team.
“If they can win it 30 yards from goal, he can work his magic. He’s more than capable, he takes your breath away with what he can do.”
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
