Neymar reunited with former PSG team-mate Xavi Simons and will face him as an opponent when Santos and RB Leipzig play a club friendly on Wednesday.
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- Neymar to reunite with Simons
- Duo were team-mates at PSG
- Dutch star considers Brazilian one of his idols
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Neymar reunited with his former Paris Saint-Germain teammate Simons earlier this week as the Dutchman is set to face off against the Brazilian when Santos and RB Leipzig lock horns in a club friendly on Wednesday, May 28. Neymar took to social media to post a photo of himself with Simons, writing: "Glad to see you well and welcome to @institutoneymarjr. See you tonight".
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
A product of the famed La Masia academy, Simons was signed by PSG in 2019. He made his official first-team debut in February 2021 and made a total of 11 appearances before being signed by Eredivisie giants PSV Eindhoven in the summer of 2022. After scoring 22 goals in 48 games in the 2022-23 season with PSV, PSG exercised their buy-back option on Simons, but immediately loaned him out to Leipzig in 2023. Having become among the most effective talents in the Bundesliga, Leipzig signed Simons permanently in January 2025 in a club-record deal.
As for Neymar, he joined PSG from Barcelona for a world record transfer fee in 2017 and made 173 appearances, scoring 118 goals. He left for Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal in 2023, and then returned to boyhood club Santos in January 2025 following an injury-riddled stint in the Middle East.
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WHAT XAVI SIMONS SAID
Speaking to Red Bull on Monday, Simons spoke about his relationship with Neymar and said: "He already knew me from Barcelona and was like a father for me. I will be eternally grateful to him for that. It was a big dream to play with my idol and he's still an important person for me."
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DID YOU KNOW?
RB Leipzig will become the first team from the Bundesliga in 25 years to play a match in Brazil when Santos and Leipzig clash at the Cicero de Souza Marques stadium in Sao Paulo on Wednesday, May 28.
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