As Neymar approaches 100 La Liga games at Barcelona, we look at how his goalscoring record compares to other greats.
The Brazilian, who will be making his 100th La Liga appearance at Valencia on Saturday, arrived from Santos in the summer of 2013, and has netted 59 times in his 99 league appearances for the club.
Some said it would be a case of “two captains on the same ship” when Neymar, then 21, joined up with Lionel Messi at the Nou Camp, and though his goalscoring rate in 2013/14 was his lowest in five years, he was back in the goals when Luis Suarez arrived the next summer.
The formidable trio hit 137 goals in 2015 as Barcelona broke the Spanish record for most goals in a calendar year with 180, Neymar scoring 41 of those, and when comparing the 24-year-old’s first 100 league games with other modern La Liga greats, his impact at the Nou Camp is even more impressive.
Messi himself managed 48 goals in his first 100 La Liga appearances, before going on to break umpteen Spanish records, including all-time top La Ligagoalscorer.
Former Barcelona striker David Villa burst onto the scene with Sporting Gijon in 2001, netting 18 goals in his first senior season, and registered an impressive 48 goals in his first 100 La Liga appearances.
Samuel Eto’o hit 35 goals in his first 100 games in the Spanish top flight, while Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema scored 45 goals following his move from Lyon in 2009.
Real Madrid legend Raul’sfirst 100 league games yielded 44 goals, while Gareth Bale, who has appeared in 88 La Liga games, has 50 goals.
But Neymar, Messi and co’s impact on La Liga falls well short of Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo and his Brazilian namesake.
Portuguese forward Ronaldo hit 111 goals in his first 100 La Liga games after his arrival from Manchester United in 2009, and is still the fastest player to 100 goals in the Spanish top flight.
Brazilian striker Ronaldo’s first 100 games were split between rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid in over two separate decades, and he registered 82 goals.
There is time yet for Suarez to break the Brazilian’s record, having scored 62 goals in his first 70 La Liga games.
Neymar approaches 100 La Liga games with Barcelona, but how does he compare?
