In World Football, there might been a few transfers that have a big impact such as Neymar leaving Barcelona. The Brazilian sensational move to Paris Saint-Germain(PSG) was met with shock and awe, leaving fans and pundits wondering why he chose to part ways with one of the most illustrious clubs in world football, not only that but the very foundation was built by three South American front three of Messi, Neymar and Suarez. An attack that Europe feared. Neymar was at the height of his career, being someone that was at the height of his career after finishing just behind “Lionel Messi” and “Cristiano Ronaldo” in 2015, the Brazilian was an international sensation.
He had that “Jogo Bonito” style of football that reflected a true Brazilian in every aspect. So why A football player so much loved by the fans and a player that had so much charisma and felt comfortable at the club would leave all of a sudden?
Did Neymar leave Barcelona because of Money?
The most highlighted feature of Neymar’s departure was the buzzing transfer fees of $222 Million and a colossal financial offer from PSG. The Qatari-owned club broke the world record fee by a mile. Additionally, Neymar's salary package reportedly included unprecedented wages and lucrative endorsement deals, making it an offer too enticing to refuse. A sum no one has dreamed possible would be paid for a player.
Neymar leaving for money was hugely seen as the main motive behind the transfers, but it was not all about money for the Brazilian, there was an underlying major factor that might have acted as a final nail to the coffin for Neymar’s story at Barcelona.
It has been reported that Neymar’s father would have allegedly earned more than $30 Million from PSG for a signing fee for Neymar to join PSG, It was reported that Neymar earned a net $43 Million at PSG in the 2018-19 season, compared to $28 Million he earned while at Barcelona. This is huge in terms of financial language as this means earning more than $800K a week in wages. Money motivation can be one the serious causes that made Neymar ultimately leave the club because he thought he was not valued enough in terms of income.
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Did Neymar leave Barcelona because of a rift with management?
Rumours of a strained relationship between Neymar and the Barcelona hierarchy began circulating before the transfer materialized. Reports suggested that the player was disheartened with certain aspects of the club's sporting direction.
One aspect that might have added is that Neymar's transfer from Santos was suspicious, there was an ongoing legal battle going on about how much was paid for Neymar, and the Spanish tax authorities had not stopped chasing even after the completion of the transfer fees, Barcelona faced the accusation of tax fraud related to the player's transfer from Santos to Barcelona in 2013. The legal situation further clouded the already controversial transfer saga. In simple words, Barcelona might have paid more for the Neymar to Santos or to his father which Spanish tax authorities got hold of.
Did Neymar Leave Barcelona because of Messi?
While at Barcelona, Neymar was undeniably part of that South American trio, alongside Messi and Luis Suarez, often referred to as MSN. Despite the success of numerous titles won together, some speculated that Neymar yearned to be the main focal point of the team, rather than sharing the spotlight with Messi. The move to PSG presented an opportunity for him to become an undisputed star and the leader of the squad, a prospect that undoubtedly appealed to his ambitions.
To understand this very clearly, One needs to understand the situation Barcelona was in at that time. Back in the 2017 Champions League, the match between PSG and Barcelona was the one where it all might start, After all hopes were lost it was Neymar's crucial free-kick in the dying minutes that gave the edge to Barcelona it was also Neymar's final overhead ball that Roberto converted into that winning goal.
There were many reports after the match that Neymar particularly was not happy as the main credits all went to Lionel Messi. Many interpreted that because Neymar had always been in Messi's shadow in most of his career and to get out of that shadow he might have taken that decision.
Some of the former players have also expressed their opinion on this matter like Jeremy Mathieu
The Brazilian was keen to win the Golden Ball, A prestigious award that was not won by a Brazilian after KAKA in 2007, and he realised that staying in Barcelona would not help him achieve that goal. A young Brazilian who was keen to prove himself alone without MSN.
With PSG he was able to take that main man role and could become the face of the team that also had the ambition same as Neymar.
Hence we saw cameras capturing a smiling Neymar with a PSG shirt on 4th August 2017
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