Neymar produced a moment of magic that left fans stunned during Brazil’s thrashing of Peru in the Copa America.
Neymar starred as Brazil beat Peru 4-0, with the Paris Saint-Germain ace scoring a brilliant goal in the second-half.
He also performed an incredible feat of talent by mercilessly toying with Peru’s defence.
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| Image: PA |
Neymar went to his party skills in the 83rd minute, destroying not one, but THREE players with a spectacular nutmeg and roulette.
He poked the ball between his opponent’s knees before showing boating in front of another Peru defender with a spectacular roulette move.
In an era where there is very little creative expression from footballers, Neymar is a breath of fresh air. Haters will always find a way to complain, but never stop being you @neymarjr ๐๐ฝ pic.twitter.com/E9Qjirlc3G
โ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐น ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐๐ฏ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐ง๐ท (@BrasilEdition) June 18, 2021
Fans online loved his trickery.
One wrote: “This made me nostalgic. He is literally one of a kind at this era.”
A second tweeted: “I would take this piece of skill over anything else, and this is what I love about Neymar Just next level!”
A third added: “This is creativity. This is not static football.”
Neymar’s strike on Friday now means he is just NINE goals away from breaking Pele‘s all-time goals record for Brazil.
The three-time World Cup winner has 77 international goals to his name while Neymar bagged his 68th goal against Peru.
And speaking after closing in on the legend’s record, the 29-year-old said: “It’s moving for me [to approach Pele], I’ve been through a lot these last two years.
“These [goal] numbers are nothing more than my joy of playing for Brazil, representing my country, my family. We’re all going through a very atypical moment, a very hard moment in Brazil and elsewhere.
“To be a role model for someone, to make people happy, it gives me joy. I love the story that I’m writing here, I want my family and friends to be proud. I hope everyone who loves this game are proud of me, because these numbers don’t really mean anything, only the pride of representing Brazil.”
Pele responded to Neymar’s stunning outing by penning an emotional post on social media.
He wrote: “Every time I see this boy, he is smiling. It’s impossible not to smile back. It is contagious.
“I, like all Brazilians, am always happy when I see him playing. Today, he took another step towards my goalscoring record for the Selecao. And I’m rooting for him to get there, with the same joy I’ve had since I saw him play for the first time.”
Featured Image Credit: Copa America