In the early morning of December 13, Beijing time, in the last round of the Champions League group match, Paris Saint Germain defeated Red Star Belgrade 3-1 away to advance to the last 16 as the first in the group. The third goal of Paris was scored by Neymar, which was his 41st goal in the Champions League, overtaking Ronaldo and becoming Brazil
In the early morning of December 13, Beijing time, in the last round of the Champions League group match, Paris Saint Germain defeated Red Star Belgrade 3-1 away to advance to the last 16 as the first in the group. The third goal of Paris was scored by Neymar, which was his 41st goal in the Champions League, overtaking Ronaldo and becoming the best striker of Brazilian players in the history of the Champions League.
Neymar scored six goals in the Champions League group matches this season, ranking third only after Bayern's Lewandowski (9) and Barcelona's Messi (7). Four of his six goals were scored in two matches against Red Star Belgrade, including a hat trick.
Neymar's 41st goal in the Champions League also let him surpass the legendary Brazilian Ronaldo, who scored 40 goals in the Champions League, playing for Barcelona, Inter Milan and Real Madrid respectively. Neymar is currently ranked 15th in the history of European Cup goalscorers, 30 goals away from Benzema (71), the 10th.
Neymar ranked first among Brazilian players in terms of the number of goals scored in the Champions League, followed by Ronaldo (40), Kaka (30), Ronaldinho (18), and William (17). The following is the ranking of Brazilian players' goals in the Champions League:
ranking |
player |
Number of goals |
one |
Neymar |
forty-one |
two |
Ronaldo |
forty |
three |
Kaka |
thirty |
four |
Ronaldinho |
eighteen |
five |
William |
seventeen |
Neymar's performance in the Champions League proves that he is the leader of Brazilian football and the target of European giants. It is reported that both Real Madrid and Barcelona are interested in Neymar and hope to bring him in next summer. It remains to be seen whether Neymar can lead Paris Saint Germain further in the Champions League or choose to return to La Liga.