It’s been almost a year since Neymar Jr. departed Paris Saint-Germain to pursue his career with Al-Hilal. However, a recent report has shed light on the Brazilian’s last years with the French club, which led to his eventual exit.
Neymar can enjoy himself when he’s in his private time, which sometimes attracts criticism from experts and pundits. However, in a conversation with L’Equipe, a former coach on Thomas Tuchel’s staff spoke about the Brazilian’s professionalism.
“I can assure you that Neymar took care of his body,” the coach told the French media outlet. “He invested a lot of money and time in his preparation with an osteopath who followed him every day and who was in constant contact with the club.”
However, once football resumed following the COVID-19 pandemic, the same coach believes there was a noticeable change in Neymar. Nonetheless, the anonymous coach didn’t go into detail as to the exact reason that influenced the player’s change.
“Really, it hurts, because Ney was a fabulous player when he arrived,” the coach added. “But since Covid, something had changed.”
A former member of Thomas Tuchel’s staff: “I can assure you that Neymar took care of his body. He invested a lot of money and time in his preparation with an osteopath who followed him every day and who was in constant contact with the club.”
A person close to the club:… pic.twitter.com/5xir9jSwnE
— PSG Report (@PSG_Report) April 12, 2024
There’s also another issue in which Neymar treated Vitinha poorly, which might correlate with this change. The report doesn’t reveal why the Brazilian was hostile toward the Portuguese midfielder last season, but it does paint a picture of the behind-the-scenes issues.
So it feels as though the player was over being part of the team and needed a change of scenery because of the lack of hunger.