This time it’s the right one. After his aborted return to FC Barcelona in 2019 and a few summers spent considering a departure, Neymar will leave Paris Saint-Germain after six years in the French capital. While he wanted to return to FC Barcelona or discover Major League Soccer, the Brazilian finally said yes to Saudi Arabia. There, the international auriverde will receive an XXL annual salary. If on the French side we talk about 100 M€ for two seasons on the side of Al-Hilal, the Parisian number 10 could finally receive between 300 and 400 M€ (always over two years). However, should we regret such a departure? The answer is quickly found in the clan of the Brazilian. Ditto at PSG.
741 days in the infirmary
The red and blue club, still branded as part of financial fair play, will cash a check for around €100 million for a player bought a little more than double in 2017. Paris could never have sold Neymar at this price. Especially at 31 and after yet another season spent in the infirmary. The Mogi das Cruzes native’s recurring injuries are also one of the main reasons why the player has become undesirable for the new Parisian project. According to the website transfermarkt, Neymar totals no less than 741 days of unavailability since he signed at PSG. It’s as if he had spent two whole seasons in the infirmary. At 30-35 M€ per year, it’s expensive, not to mention the cost of his transfer (222 M€).
Supposed to emancipate himself in Paris and emerge from the shadow of Lionel Messi to become the new king of world football, Neymar will never have succeeded despite a more than correct statistical record (118 goals and 77 assists in 173 matches, all competitions combined). His regular absences (due to injury) during key moments, particularly in the Champions League, weighed heavily. He shone well in the 2020 Final 4 in Lisbon, but unfortunately for him, not in the final (against Bayern Munich). Still unable to stay at the highest level over time, Neymar eventually got bored. And unfortunately for him, he tired of the one who became the leader of PSG, Kylian Mbappé. The Bondynois will probably never confirm it publicly, but the departure of Neymar is not to displease him. Admiring the Brazilian on his arrival, the 2018 world champion ended up being annoyed to have to share the spotlight with an irregular player with an unsavory lifestyle (some people like to compare the player’s photos on social networks 2017 and in 2023).
Never attached to PSG
Another argument: Neymar has never given the impression of being attached to PSG. While it’s obvious that money was one of the factors that made the former Blaugrana say yes to Les Rouge et Bleu in 2017, the Brazilian always seemed detached. A detachment that turned into a fracture in the summer of 2019 when he pushed to return to Barça. Whistled, insulted by the Parisian supporters on his return, Neymar did the job, but his divorce with the public of the Park was consummated. Very rarely present with his teammates when going to greet the spectators after matches, Neymar has definitely turned the page when he and Messi have been the targets of boos from Parisian supporters for the past two years.
Idol turned financial and sporting fiasco, Neymar will not be missed by many. Regarding the question of his international future, not sure that his departure to the Middle East poses problems. Saudi Pro League star Cristiano Ronaldo continues to be called up by Portugal, so, a priori, Neymar retains all his chances with the Seleção. His presence at the Copa América in 2024 should therefore not be called into question.
Regrets though…
However, it is impossible to be insensitive to this departure. At the media level, Ligue 1 still loses one of its world stars after Lionel Messi. But this departure on the sly generates above all a huge feeling of waste. Because if the weight of the years has worked against him, Neymar remains of the breed of those rare players capable of lifting an entire stadium with a technical gesture. The feeling of not having been able to take full advantage of such creative talent in France is palpable. The question of whether Paris will be able to replace him will also be one of the issues at the end of the Ile-de-France transfer window.
Sparkling and lightning-fast in his first six months in Paris in 2017, could Neymar have helped PSG turn mountains in the Champions League if not for his nasty ankle injury? We will never know, but fans of Neymar who have seen him at FC Barcelona know that the French public has undoubtedly been less impressed in six years than Blaugrana fans in four years (from 2013 to 2017). Moreover, for once that the PSG had decided to carry out a complete treatment at the ankle of its player, to see him spinning without having had a glimpse of the result is regrettable. Finally, by signing in Saudi Arabia at 31, Neymar may have said goodbye at the highest level, without wanting to insult the ambitious Saudi project. At the end of his contract with Al-Hilal, the Brazilian will be 33 years old and doubts about his physical condition are likely to chill more than one.
