Neymar spent four seasons at Barca, recording an impressive 105 goals and 76 assists across 186 appearances. He proved himself as an elite performer in a star-studded side, and got the Camp Nou crowd off it’s feet regularly with his dazzling displays of skill in the final third.

Alongside Messi and Luis Suarez, Neymar formed one third of arguably the best attacking trident in modern football history, with ‘MSN’ spearheading Barca’s surge to the treble under Luis Enrique in 2014-15.

Neymar scored 39 goals that season, including one in the Blaugrana’s Champions League final victory over Juventus. In the following campaign, Luis Enrique shifted the Brazil international into a central role, which allowed him to unlock his full creative potential as Barca clinched another domestic double.

After seeing Neymar score four in a 5-2 home win over Rayo Vallecano in La Liga, Luis Enrique famously said: “Defenders only have two choices when facing him: concede a penalty or let him score. In one word, he was breath-taking.”

A third successive Copa del Rey triumph saved what was otherwise a disappointing 2016-17 season for Barca, but Neymar continued to thrive on an individual level – most notably inspiring the team’s incredible ‘remontada’ against PSG in the Champions League.

The French side won the first leg of the last-16 tie 4-0, only to lose 6-1 at Camp Nou, with Neymar scoring a sublime free-kick and penalty before setting up Sergi Roberto for the winning goal deep into stoppage-time. It was the highlight of Neymar’s entire Barca career and the moment he truly put himself in the same bracket as Messi.

Neymar went on to score his 100th goal for Barca in their Copa del Rey final win against Alaves, and the foundations were in place for him to etch his name into the club’s Hall of Fame. But then PSG came calling, and he spectacularly failed his first true test of loyalty.

The relationship between Neymar and Barcelona fans was irreversibly damaged when he departed for Parc des Princes, as some Culers even went so far as to burn shirts with his name on after the transfer was confirmed. Neymar gave the Blaugrana plenty of memorable moments, but his exit marked the beginning of a major downturn in fortunes for the club – and his legacy has been complicated by the perceived betrayal.

Neymar’s first year at PSG is, statistically speaking, still the best of his entire spell in France. He managed 32 goal contributions in Ligue 1 and scored six in seven Champions League appearances – which went some way to justifying his status as the most expensive player of all-time. He helped PSG land three domestic trophies, including the league title – which they clinched with five matches to spare. But Neymar also sat out a grand total of 21 matches through injury.

He broke the metatarsal in his right foot in a 3-0 victory over Marseille in February 2018, which ruled him out of the second leg of PSG’s last-16 Champions League clash with Real Madrid. Unai Emery’s side crashed out of the competition in his absence, and Neymar sat out the remainder of the season.

The mercurial attacker rushed back to play for Brazil at the World Cup in Russia, but he wasn’t quite the same. The Selecao lost to Belgium in the quarter-finals, and although Neymar still managed to make it into the Team of the Tournament, he spent most of his time on the ground after exaggerating the effect of tackles. Neymar always had a penchant for theatricality, but it appeared that he was starting to avoid physical contact entirely rather than simply trying to draw fouls – and the trend continued in the 2018-19 campaign.

PSG had to make do without Neymar for 29 games as he struggled with a series of niggling muscle issues before fracturing his metatarsal once again. He still managed a respectable haul of 23 goals and 13 assists across all competitions, but wasn’t on the pitch enough to make a telling impact – which allowed Kylian Mbappe to move into centre stage.

Mbappe has been the driving force behind PSG’s domestic success over the past four years, not Neymar. The Frenchman certainly has his faults, but he’s looked after himself physically to ensure he’s always available.

The same cannot be said for Neymar, as his fitness issues have provided an unwanted side-show. PSG supporters have seen him sit out the business end of the season year after year, and his party-boy lifestyle away from the pitch has done little to silence questions over his commitment.

It was no surprise when Neymar suffered ankle ligament damage again in March. PSG now know for certain that they will never be able to rely on the Brazil forward, which is why they have been working to find a willing buyer over the summer.