Exactly five years ago, one transfer changed football history. Neymar, the Brazilian superstar, signed for Paris Saint-Germain, who paid Barcelona 222 million euros for him.
The summer of 2017 brought an explosion in the football market. After several months of negotiations, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona finally reached an agreement at the beginning of August, and the world was taken aback by the financial details - 222 million euros for a football player, an individual, it was an unforgettable deal that is still talked about today.
"When I signed for Barcelona, one of the main reasons was to play with Leo Messi. Here in Paris, I was drawn to the Paris Saint-Germain club and project. I am very eager to write the history of the club. Paris doesn't need Neymar to be the most wonderful city in the world, but I hope Paris Saint-Germain needs Neymar to fulfill its goals," Neymar said at the promotion.
It was a transfer that changed the history of football and moved the boundaries, although the forecasts that the fabulous 222 million euros would be just the beginning, and that the record would not last long, did not come true, especially when Kylian Mbappe arrived in Paris 20 days later, then only great talent, for 180 million from Monaco.
Those two transfers are still the biggest in the history of football, and considering the market developments, the question is when the record will be broken.
Neymar was welcomed in Paris as a deity, he immediately received the number 10 jersey, which was given to him by Javier Pastore, and his status was praised by his teammates.
"Barcelona without Messi is not as good, Real Madrid without Cristiano Ronaldo is not the same team. Paris Saint-Germain without Neymar – you know the answer," Marquinhos said in January 2018.
However, was it so. Since 2017, Neymar has failed to lead Paris Saint-Germain to the ultimate goal – winning the Champions League. One final was selected, in the year of the coronavirus, at the tournament in Portugal, which ended with a defeat by Bayern.
It was the most painful, but not the hardest defeat. Three times, Neymar's "saints" were eliminated in the round of XNUMX, i.e. in the first knockout round.
After the last such defeat, against Real Madrid last season, the fans definitely turned their backs on both the team and Neymar, who received whistles in every contact with the ball and insults from the stands.
“Paris Saint-Germain signed Neymar because of quality. He had a series of injuries, he had ups and downs. Injuries disrupt players, especially forwards, he needs rhythm, he needs to play constantly to feel confident. I have no doubt that Neymar will continue to show what he is worth, he always has high demands", coach Mauricio Pochetino defended him.
After the end of last season, the media wrote that PSG wanted to give up the Brazilian ace at all costs, but instead, Neymar got support and a new contract...
"Neymar is a world-class player. He is one of the best players in the world. What coach wouldn't want to have Neymar. The coach's job is to find balance in the team. You need balance. I have a very clear idea of what I want from Neymar. Above all, I want him to stay with us. It's always better to have world-class players in your team than against you," coach Christophe Galtier said last month.
Neymar played 145 games in all competitions for Paris Saint-Germain and scored 102 goals.
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