Neymar has now won 19 penalties since joining Barcelona in 2013
FC Barcelona broke their Anoeta curse on Thursday, winning 1-0 against Real Sociedad in the first leg of their Copa del Rey quarter-final. Neymar played a decisive role, winning and scoring the penalty which won the game.
Neymar's goal drought is now history. His presence in the area always signifies danger. To the point that the Brazilian is the player who's won the most penalties in Spanish football, taking into account all competitions.
According to data from Opta, the Brazilian has won 19 penalties since he arrived in Europe. It's not surprising that the No.11 is the most fouled player. His technical qualities and his pace mean rivals struggle to deal with him.
Neymar, a defender of sambas football, has been accused of being provocative on more than one occasion. However, with the numbers to hand, the only thing he can be accused of is provoking penalties.
With the one Gonzalez Gonzalez awarded on Thursday, that's now 19 penalties the 24-year-old has won since he joined Barça. He's ahead of Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, who in the same time period, dating back to 2013/14, has won 15 spot kicks.
In the current season, Neymar has won three, scoring two (against Athletic and now La Real), while he gave the first one to Lionel Messi against Leganes.
Here are the players to have won the most penalties in Spain since 2013/14:
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