Declaring he was "more alive than ever," Neymar did not disappoint on his debut for Paris Saint-Germain.
The world's most expensive player provided a pulsating evening's entertainment at the Stade du Roudourou on Sunday, with one goal and an assist, as PSG overcame strong resistance from Guingamp to win 3-0 in the French league.
Neymar was named man of the match, and it was deserved. "I'm very happy with the trophy (man of the match), but the most important (thing) was to win," Neymar said through a translator. "I knew it would be difficult to leave Barca, but I'm very happy to be here. People believe that leaving Barca is like to die. But I'm more alive than ever. I'm very happy, and the football is the same."
Neymar, who signed from Barcelona last week, missed the start of the season at the Parc des Princes against Amiens due to paperwork problems. Hired for a world-record 222 million euros ($262 million), he started on the left wing of PSG's attack in the small Brittany town.
Neymar's first touch in the French league was a long ball for Angel Di Maria that landed on the edge of the box, but the Argentine player could not latch onto it. Neymar's vision, acceleration and through balls in a weaker league than Spain's unsettled Guingamp's back four, and his trademark dribbles were also on display at the Roudourou.
Encouragingly for PSG, Neymar has already gelled with Cavani, with both players finding each other instinctively despite the lack of space in the Guingamp box.