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It appears that over a month away from the game hasn't dulled any of Neymar's style. The Brazilian superstar returned to the pitch Monday in FC Barcelona's preseason friendly against Liga MX champion Leon (which Barca won handily 6-0), and reminded the world why millions of fans chanted his name during this year's World Cup.
After length rehabilitation from a broken vertibrae sustained during a World Cup quarterfinal match versus Columbia, Neymar stepped onto the field today and delivered two awfully pretty goals for his Spanish club, as well as an assist to Lionel Messi - the first goal a perfectly placed chip off a perfectly placed pass from iniesta, the second a back heel into the net off a pass from Messi (returning the favor from earlier in the match).
Neymar's First Goal: A Neat Little Chip
Neymar's Second Goal: Now He's Just Having Fun
If there were any doubts about the Brazilian's performance after his injury, he put them to rest today with this performance.
Neymar wasn't the only one back on the pitch after a lengthy absence from play. Perennial bad-guy and suspected vampire Luis Suarez made his first appearance after the now-infamous incident in which he bit Giorgio Chiellini in the World Cup, resulting in a four-month ban from all competitive play. This ban was amended to allow Suarez to train with FC Barcelona and compete in friendlies, but we won't see a full return to the pitch for Suarez until later this season.
Nevertheless, fans at Monday's match welcomed him back to the field with hearty applause - a sure sign that in sport, like much else in life, if you perform and give the people what they want, all is often forgiven.
