The greatest goalscorers are selfish.
It’s almost impossible to justify the kind of money that Neymar joined Paris Saint-Germain for in the summer but he’s doing a damn good job of attempting to do so.
The £200 million man wasted no time in making defences miserable in Ligue 1 and he put on one hell of a show at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday night, when PSG hammered Dijon 8-0.
Neymar scored four and set up two more in the rout but it was his insistence on taking a penalty, after he’d already scored a hat-trick, that didn’t sit well with some home fans.
The Brazilian tucked home the spot-kick after his trademark stutter step but the fact that he didn’t offer it to teammate Edinson Cavani, who won the penalty, prompted several supporters to boo him.
42′ – ⚽️
57′ – ⚽️
73′ – ⚽️
83′ – ⚽️Neymar put on a show as he scored four goals in PSG’s 8-0 win over Dijon. ? pic.twitter.com/WaotwSzSRO
— Goal (@goal) January 17, 2018
If Cavani had converted it, he would have become PSG’s all-time top scorer, having drawn level with Zlatan Ibrahimovic on 156 goals earlier in the evening.
Paris defender Thomas Meunier has criticised the fans for jeering the club’s record signing and said there was no doubt that Cavani would shatter the record.
“I understand the disappointment but I find this very disgraceful from the fans,” Meunier said.
“If you want to boo him, why do you clap and cheer him when he goes past four defenders to score?
Controversy in Paris tonight despite PSG's 8-0 win over Dijon, which included a Neymar quadruple. The Brazilian was roundly booed for not allowing Edinson Cavani take the penalty that could have made him PSG's top-scorer of all-time.
— Get French Football News (@GFFN) January 17, 2018
“To me, it’s a minor detail. When you look at the score, whether or not Neymar leaves it for Edi is no big deal.
“We all know that Edi will beat the record and by a lot. The player meant to take penalties is Neymar so I don’t think Edi will have something against Neymar. It’s just how it was written on the paper.
“So, as professionals, we must consider the goal as one for the team, more than for Neymar or Cavani on their own.”
The relationship between Neymar and Cavani didn’t get off to the best start, with the new arrival taking umbrage with Cavani for demanding to take and subsequently missing a penalty against Lyon in September.
Grow up, Neymar https://t.co/kFXzAxPzs7
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) September 18, 2017
The penalty spat resulted in rumours that Neymar wanted Cavani to be sold but the Uruguayan claimed that they’d put the argument behind them.
“The penalty case, that’s in the past,” Cavani said at the time. “These are things that happen in football.
“We must find the solution together and function as a team. We need to be a competitive team, but we do not need to be friends.
“You have to be professional, and afterwards everyone has their own life.”
