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Four years after Neymar joined Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona and became the most expensive player in world football history, it is not easy to judge the success or failure of the Brazilian star in the Park of the Princes. Regardless, the future at PSG is still open and full of expectations for a record contract of 220 million euros.
Four years after Neymar joined Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona and became the most expensive player in world football history, it is not easy to judge the success or failure of the Brazilian star in the Park of the Princes. Regardless, the future at PSG is still open and full of expectations for a record contract of 220 million euros.
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| Neymar helped PSG reach the Champions League final 2020. Photo: Getty Images |
Four years ago at the same time, it was not the number one Fabrizio Romano today, it was Marcelo Bechler, a Brazilian journalist working in Spain, who was the first to post the official announcement. about the biggest transfer in football history.
Neymar left Barcelona to join Paris Saint-Germain. One of the world’s best and most famous footballers left one of the greatest clubs in the world and joined one of the richest clubs in the world. Not to mention the transfer fee.
In order for this super blockbuster to explode, PSG activated Neymar’s contract release clause with Barca, worth 220 million euros. The French team not only smashed the world transfer record but also really crushed it, more than double Manchester United’s € 105 million figure when they signed Paul Pogba from Juventus just last summer.
Finally, everything was completed and set for August 2017. Neymar officially became a PSG player and the transfer market has been volatile until now. But throughout the past four years, fans have always questioned and debated whether this most expensive contract of all time was really successful?
The most natural and widely accepted answer is “no”. Or at least if it’s understated for a bomb to fail, it’s that it hasn’t lived up to the expectations both envisioned and longed for: Paris Saint-Germain won the Champions League, and Neymar escaped from the shadow of Lionel Messi and became the owner of the FIFA Golden Ball title.
However, that “no” also does not cover the whole story here, because the Neymar transfer has never been purely and exclusively professional, although it certainly always is. put on top priority. This is a commercial contract, beyond the sports aspect.
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| Neymar received a lot of expectations at PSG. Photo: Getty Images |
Since officially acquiring Paris Saint-Germain in 2011 until now, it has been a decade, Arab owners have invested heavily in the purchase of players, around 1.4 billion euros, only. But their true ambition is much bigger than a mere love of football.
Not only raising the level of the French team in terms of expertise, the leadership of Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) wants to create a super club, a super brand. And Neymar, with his widespread influence, is the key springboard of the long-term strategy, the queen in the whole game.
Since that time in 2017, the PSG brand has really risen to another level, no longer encapsulated in football. Only a year later marked the handshake between the French club and the US brand Nike Air Jordan, enabling every product for competition or training to become fashion accessories. Without Neymar as a catalyst, especially since he is a longtime fan of the Air Jordan line, this lucrative partnership would not have happened.
In parallel, the name Paris Saint-Germain as well as the kite met wind in the media, especially on social networking platforms. According to statistics from the auditing firm Deloitte, the capital team has collected 94 million followers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram by the end of 2020, about six times more than it was more than three years ago when Neymar had not updated. Parc des Princes wharf. They have even surpassed many big clubs, rich in tradition and which also have a strong fan base around the world, such as Arsenal and Liverpool of the UK.
For QSI, every additional follower (follower) is treasured and valued as a step forward, another small victory on the journey of image building and consolidating power. But, as the late legend Johan Cruyff once said: “I have never seen a pocket of money that can score”, the success of the ball has remained absolutely dependent on the results on the pitch, not on the footballs. side angle such as business or image, brand. And over time with his four years with Neymar, it has clearly proven to be the hardest.
Neymar can be compared with famous and luxurious ceramics under the Ming Dynasty – beautiful, sophisticated but also extremely fragile and fragile. Paris Saint-Germain simply paid a heavy price to realize that. The first two seasons at the Parc des Princes, the Brazilian star often missed the match for various reasons, mainly due to injuries, with the number of absences equal to the number of appearances for the club.
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| Neymar did not really sh ine as expected at PSG because of injuries and side problems. Photo: Getty Images Advertisement
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In 2018, the broken ankle made Neymar can only sit and eat for most of the second half of the season, helplessly witnessing PSG’s 2-5 defeat at the hands of Real Madrid in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. TV screen. In the next 2019, with the same old injury and taking the same amount of time to heal, the Brazilian star once more with the French team lost his dream of claiming to be the king of Europe, this time it was even more painful when let Manchester United make an unbelievable comeback in the 1/8 round.
Of course, it’s hard to put all the blame on Neymar for the injuries he suffered at the most crucial moments, especially considering the level of indifferent protection that referees have given him in so many matches. domestic league in Ligue 1, although the Brazilian star is always the subject of fouls and eliminations most often.
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However, no matter what, Neymar and Paris Saint-Germain’s position in the football world has been seriously affected. Remember, Neymar decided to leave Barcelona, which gave him almost everything – money, fame, fame, glory as well as, above all, a bright future planned to inherit Messi, just because he wanted to. Thirst not to live under the shadow of the Argentine man and stand on his own two feet to conquer the football world. Then, ironically, spending four years at the Parc des Princes, the Brazilian star has never even been once again on the list of nominees for the FIFA Ballon d’Or, with an achievement ranking worse than everyone else. the previous season at Camp Nou.
In addition, Neymar’s 2019 has not been more gloomy, covered by scandalous personal problems. Those are not new scandals, mainly related to the partying lifestyle, even flying straight back to Brazil to attend the Carnival festival right in the fierce phase of the season, the time it should be. must stay in Paris to recuperate and rest.
More seriously, the striker born in 1992 was also involved in a sexual assault scandal with women right before the Copa America. Despite being acquitted, Neymar himself is obviously not happy when his image is further damaged, not to mention absent from the tournament held in his homeland. And ironically, Brazil was crowned South American champion without his services.
And then most recently at the end of May 2021, another sexual assault accusation against Neymar, this time from a female Nike employee, resulted in the unilateral decision to terminate the financial contract. support from the American sports company, regardless of the specific right or wrong in PSG players. The fate is not over, when before Neymar also made public opinion when he and 150 comrades partyed all night to welcome the New Year, leading to the violation of social distancing regulations during the complicated epidemic season, an image that is too ugly and worthy of heavy condemnation in the context of Brazil being devastated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
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| Neymar succeeds or fails at Neymar, that’s what we’re still debating. Photo: Getty Images |
However, despite the contagion affecting the team’s face, not to mention Neymar’s boredom and desire to leave, Paris Saint-Germain still closed his eyes, patiently and determined to keep him. . The reason why? Perhaps because in the end, the rich Frenchman finally gradually approached and felt the glory on the top of Europe, the goal has always been the number one goal of the Qatari owners for 10 years since taking over the club.
It was last year 2020, when PSG won the domestic treble under coach Thomas Tuchel and played the first Champions League final in history. This year 2021, PSG also reached the semi-finals after overcoming the great European giants such as Manchester United, Barcelona and Bayern Munich. All are imprinted with Neymar’s imprint, with his impressive performances, what is outstanding, genius and original that has made his name.
It is impossible to enjoy any work of art without acknowledging the artist who created it. Whatever you say, it still has to be fair to Neymar, whenever he has the ball at his feet with a comfortable mental mentality and the most sublime inspiration, he is still one of the best players in the world, an artist. Real on the pitch, boldly elegant and unique in today’s football era that emphasizes speed, physical strength, and tactics.
Now, the contract with PSG has been extended to 2025 and through all the ups and downs, Neymar seems to remain at Parc des Princes for a long time and continue to devote his most prolific years. career for the French club. It is clear that the talent and class of the Brazilian star is still large enough and valuable to cover all the shortcomings on the sidelines, worthy of gaining the trust of the Qatari owners to decide to continue with the company. this venture.
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| Neymar helped PSG reach the Champions League final 2020. Photo: Getty Images |
The optimistic outlook surrounding the relationship between Paris Saint-Germain and Neymar has been further solidified this summer as the capital’s giants continue to storm the transfer market, with more quality rookies. quality and world-class, for example, goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, the reigning champion and best player of Euro 2020, midfielder Sergio Ramos from Real Madrid or especially Lionel Messi.
With the successful recruitment of Argentina’s living legend, a free contract but signaling a change in football history, there will be no doubt about Neymar’s future when reunited with his teammate. old and friendly in Barcelona. With all the favorable foundations available, it is time for the Brazilian star to realize the brilliant successes that have always been expected of him on the pitch.
Publicly in front of the media, Neymar confirmed that he had changed, especially his personal goals no longer prioritize the Ballon d’Or. “The important thing is the victory of the whole team, that my Paris Saint-Germain must win the Champions League,” shared the Brazilian star recently, in July 2021.
But if Paris Saint-Germain becomes the king of Europe, then individual titles may come rushing in as a result. And if that happens, Neymar, with the help of Messi’s return, may have a chance to replace Messi as the best player in the world. Maybe Neymar has indeed changed, at least in his mind or his rhetoric on the surface, but he will never be delusional and always stick to that goal.
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