Former Barcelona player Samuel Umtiti has disclosed that Neymar promised the players two goals ahead of their marvelous comeback victory against the Paris Saint-Germain in the 2017 UEFA Champions League clash. The Frenchman claimed that the Brazilian was very confident and delivered on the field.
Umtiti hails Neymar's confidence
Speaking to RMC Sport, Umtiti recalled the game, saying that it was an incredible feeling as he felt the stadium move. The defender added that the result might not have gone their way if VAR was used was and said:
"Maybe things would have been different with VAR, I don't know. Sure, it went our way, but we made it happen. It's one of the only games in Barcelona where I felt the stadium move, it was incredible. After the game, it was crazy. I also remember that Neymar said before the game, 'Today I'm going to score twice, you'll see, I'm going to score twice.' I felt like I was dreaming in that game."
Neymar reflects on the performance vs PSG
Neymar also spoke about his two goals in the game to DAZN in 2019. He said that it was a promise he made to his friends ahead of the second left and said:
"Two of my friends said that PSG had a great team - and they did - and that they had already qualified, this and that... But I got up and said: 'You are my friends, you work with me, but it seems you don't believe we can turn this game around. We will reverse this situation, and I promise you two goals'."
"We had trained in the morning and I saw each player's face. Everyone was happy, nobody was down or worried about reversing the situation against PSG. We knew it would be very difficult to reverse the game."
Neymar smashed two goals in the match and assisted the winner from Sergi Roberto in injury time. Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez also scored each, making it a 6-1 win on the night and a 6-5 win on aggregate after losing the first leg 4-0.
Neymar reflects on the feeling after Barcelona's marvelous comeback win vs PSG
In an interview with DAZN, Neymar also talked about the fans and the feeling after the winner from Sergi Roberto. He called it as the most important goal of the game and said:
"That was the most important goal. I think that, in terms of excitement, in terms of making everyone crazy, that was one of the most important goals in Barcelona history. I wasn't crying, I was over the moon! It was crazy. I had never seen Camp Nou like that. After the sixth goal, the explosion was huge, both for the players and the fans. It was something that I don't think I'll ever live through again. That's why I'll remember it for the rest of my life."
Neymar ended up leaving Barcelona at the end of the season, with PSG activating the €222 million release clause.