History tends to remember winners more than losers, but in this particular tale of the Champions League 2019-20 (for Barça, more like a nightmare) surely Neymar Jr’s defeat is remembered more than Philippe Coutinho’s victory. It is enough to emphasize that ‘Ney’ was the flagship of PSG in its aspirations for conquer the ‘orejona’ this Sunday, while Coutinho entered the second half late, as a shock, and had little impact on the game of Bayern Munich.
Nonetheless, the one who ended up smiling was the second and not the first. Because Coutinho, with the Champions League that he won in Lisbon, can celebrate in a big way the first title of such caliber that he achieved in his career. Not in the Liverpool nor in the FC Barcelona He had achieved it, and success has come to him during a curious assignment in the Bavarian team, having scored a double against Barça in the quarterfinals.
Paradoxes aside, the one who is not for stories is Neymar Jr. The Brazilian star left Barcelona in the summer of 2017 with the will to carve out his own path and win trophies such as the Champions League and the Ballon d’Or, believing that if he moved away from Leo Messi he would have more possibilities. Time is showing that this is not the case, although it is true that he has made history by reaching a Champions League final with PSG.
‘Ney’ ended up emotionally destroyed after this Sunday’s match against the Bavarians, and he could be seen crying on the French bench before the UEFA commissioners presented the corresponding medals and badges to the champions and runners-up.
Coutinho and Neymar, with the same Champions
Now, Neymar Jr and Coutinho have the same Champions: one. The first, the one he won with FC Barcelona in the 2015 final against Juventus (3-1), in Berlin. And ‘Cou’ this Sunday, in which he has not been a transcendental player for Bayern but, despite everything, has been able to contribute its grain of sand and make some other good game.
Coutinho has been, throughout most of the season, one of Hansi Flick’s first changes coming off the bench. His stats are not bad at all, with 11 goals and 9 assists in the 37 games he has played, most of them incomplete. The good work of Müller, added to the essentials Gnabry and Coman, they have not allowed him to enjoy more options. And to this we must add Perisic and the rest of the great players of this Bavarian squad, who have already entered the history of football.
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