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If ever a five-second passage of football encapsulated the mercurial yet often infuriating brilliance of Neymar, it might just be this clip from PSG’s match at Reims on Sunday night.

The Brazilian frontman is capable of pulling off silky skills to match anyone in the modern game, but is also prone to pointless showboating and engaging in football’s darker arts with some of his playacting. 

All that was on display in the space of mere seconds when the 28-year-old lined up for PSG against Reims in their Ligue 1 clash at the weekend.

In the 80th minute of the game and with PSG 2-0 up, Neymar collected the ball inside the opposition half before producing a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment of brilliance, rolling the ball behind his standing leg and then flicking it back and out of the reach of his marker. 

The Brazilian then managed to pass the ball off to teammate Marquinhos as he escaped the attentions of two more Reims players – before doubling over and holding his face after the slightest of contact.

Neymar il te sort des gestes alucinant, même les commentateurs sont choqué mdrrr #SDRPSGpic.twitter.com/YQf6dUePE9

Neymar Junior ??? pic.twitter.com/fMRVDLphRt

While fans were astounded by the flash of flair from Neymar, they also claimed the clip perfectly captured the good, the bad and the ugly of the world’s most expensive player. 

“None of these man can chat to Neymar,” wrote football presenter Rants.

None of these man can chat to #Neymar ? pic.twitter.com/4u8zinnIhn

“Love him or hate him, this Neymar clip has something for everyone: a filthy bit of skill, followed by a run that goes nowhere and ends with him clutching his face,” wrote Athletic reporter Liam Twomey. 

“Clip sums up Neymar perfectly. Does something fancy which end up being useless and then try win a free kick by faking a hit to the head,” wrote another Twitter user.  

Clip sums up Neymar perfectly. Does something fancy which end up being useless and then try win a free kick by faking a hit to the head

PSG picked up a 2-0 win at the Stade Auguste-Delaune thanks to a goal in each half from Argentine hitman Mauro Icardi. 

It was the Champions League finalists third win in a row after two shock defeats to start the Ligue 1 season, as Thomas Tuchel’s men bid to get their season back on track. 

In another spectacular moment which showcased Neymar’s brilliance but also his wastefulness, he almost scored an early goal-of-the-season contender when he set off on a solo run from the halfway line, weaving through the Reims defense before shooting agonizingly across goal. 

This could have been a puskas goal from Neymar ffs pic.twitter.com/BuCRloLRQF

“This could have been a Puskas goal from Neymar ffs,” one fan wrote, summing up the mood.