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Poll Neymar poll

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How will Neymar's career pan out at PSG?


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rurikbird

Part of the Furniture
Honorary Member
I wanted to do a poll based on the article below. Money aside, do you think Neymar made the right decision leaving Barca? Will he grow in stature now that he came out of Messi's shadow or will he diminish and regret leaving the bright lights of La Liga for a lesser and more lopsided league in France? Whatever you think of it, it's a big call, probably the most consequential decision Neymar will ever make in his career.
At the end of Barcelona’s comeback against Paris Saint-Germain in March, their hero leapt on to the advertising boards at the north end of the Camp Nou, fans surging forward at his feet, still barely able to believe what they had just seen.
At first he swayed a little but they held him steady and so he stood above them, fist raised, taking it in. From below, a match photographer, Santiago Garcés, pointed his camera. Within two days, 70 million people had seen the picture of the night, which had swiftly become the most-viewed picture in Barça’s history. “People say it’s the best anyone’s ever taken of Leo Messi,” Garcés said.
Hang on a minute: Leo Messi? Astonishingly, Barcelona scored three times in seven minutes and 17 seconds. But it was not the Argentinian at the heart of them all, it was Neymar – curling in a superb free-kick, winning and taking a penalty and providing the delivery from which Sergi Roberto scored.
That was his eighth assist, the Champions League’s leader, and all of them had come from open play. He had led throughout, taking responsibility and taking hits: hyperactive, creative and everywhere. “This was the best game I’ve played,” he said. But the enduring image of a historic night was Messi.
With Barça it almost always is and maybe there is something in that? The argument most consistently put forward for Neymar’s decision to leave for PSG is that he believes it is time to stand alone. There is the money – he is set to become the world’s best-paid player, his salary will reportedly double while his father will grow even richer, receiving €36m (£32m) commission to go with almost €100m he has been paid by Barcelona – and it would be naive to dismiss that as a fundamental factor. But status is not always measured by current account; shadow is a word used a lot of late and the one Messi casts is long.
That, at least, is the theory: Neymar wants to step centre-stage and lead; he can now play where he wants and how he wants, not have to adapt to others. If he stayed at Barcelona it would never be about him and nor would the Ballon d’Or. At the Parc des Princes, success would be his own; PSG would be his team, players brought to his specifications and he will be surrounded by his people, friends and countrymen. In this scenario Dani Alves’s signing is re-evaluated, his role recast as the man who convinced him, showed him that they would do it his way. So, it seems, is the way Neymar, and others, have seen his role over the past few years.
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On the face of it, the theory is not flawless. With Messi and Luis Suárez, Neymar formed a front three that many considered the best in the world, maybe the best football has seen. He arrived saying that he had come to play with Messi and if his status within the trident was not the same as the Argentinian’s it was enhanced – at least to start with – and they genuinely were a collective. A successful one: they won, which meant that he won. A treble in the first season was followed by a double in the second, even if last season’s Copa del Rey represented a disappointment.
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In footballing terms, it did work; last season was not judged the failure of the front three, even when the focus on them rather than the midfield was interpreted as Barcelona losing their religion. Friendship was endlessly presented as the secret to their success. At times it was a little sugar-sweet and the three men repeated the same easily digestible lines as if reading from a script, but that did not make it untrue – although the most significant connection was Suárez-Messi. They genuinely get on: when it emerged Neymar was contemplating leaving, Suárez and Messi tried to talk him round and jealousy, so palpable in other cases elsewhere, rarely surfaced in theirs. The players are genuinely sorry to be losing Neymar, who was popular in the dressing room.
The suggestion that Neymar and all his team-mates had adapt their game to suit (to serve) Messi should not go entirely unchallenged, either. It was the Argentinian who shifted from striker to the right and then dropped deeper and more to the middle, benefitting the other two, who often had a No10 behind them, a trend that seemed to be deepening in pre‑season, Neymar inside closer to Suárez. A simple count of Messi’s passes to Neymar, some ending in goals, some not, helps undermine the suggestion that the Brazilian might be better off without him.
Yet it is true that Neymar’s place to the left was not the free, central role he has with Brazil, something he is reminded of every time international duty rolls round. It is also true that his best spell at Barcelona came when he took responsibility with Messi’s injury. Nor was his status the same, celebrated though his was.
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Emotionally, the desire for more is easy enough to understand, if not always share. Even in a team sport, ambition can mean going it alone and being the very, very best might feel like it is just within reach. There is one flaw: Messi still exists and may be even more of an opponent now.
Besides, eventually that status was supposed to be within reach in Spain, too. Neymar was runner-up in the Ballon d’Or when Messi won it (in truth, it was Suárez who could feel overlooked). It felt like a first step, not an ultimate aim. There was time, Barcelona thought. Neymar is 25, Messi and Suárez are 30. The present is already partly his, the future would be all his. Maybe he was in more of a hurry than they realised.
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Last season they renewed his contract until 2021 and although he had talked to PSG he said he was delighted to continue. If that was true then, he seems to have changed his mind. He had at least started to doubt. “We’re close friends and I want him to stay but I know the situation that the finds himself in,” Gerard Piqué, the Barça defender, said.
Neymar’s departure would be a huge blow that €222m will not diminish entirely, not in this market and still less in the hands of this board, mistrusted by many. It can be usefully invested for sure but as Piqué put it, “there’s no one the same as him on the market” – and the image is of a club debilitated.
The political impact is colossal. Neymar’s signing cost the president at the time, Sandro Rosell, forced to resign and now in jail, more than he would ever say and more than he could ever imagine. His exit weakens Rossell’s vice-president and successor, Josep Maria Bartomeu, too.
Neymar has his detractors, of course, but in all probability his departure would also leave the team significantly weakened. Selling him was not the plan. Barcelona will continue and, who knows, they may even emerge stronger. But they know how good he is. Messi certainly does. Neymar’s contract extension, like that of Suárez, was seen as a prerequisite to convince Messi to continue, too. Messi had wanted guarantees of the club’s ambition; keeping the best forward line in their history was central to that. His team-mates secured, at the start of this summer, he signed the deal that runs until he is 34 and Neymar is 29. Many had feared that he would not.
After the PSG victory, Neymar had been asked about Messi’s future. “Don’t worry,” he replied, “I am sure Messi will stay.” He did not say anything about himself. This was not supposed to happen and certainly not like this. His €222m buyout clause was intended as a Not For Sale sign and the world transfer record will now double, but given the way the market was moving it may ultimately be revealed as low. Meant as a deterrent, it encouraged PSG. When the story broke it did not seem possible, but Barça had left the door ajar.
So it went on and on, more damaging with each day. “There’s only one way out: Neymar has to say something,” Andrés Iniesta said. The Brazilian didn’t. All summer he has been the centre of attention, the focus on him this time, but there was silence. With it, the bitterness grew, a growing sense that he was best forgotten, packed off with his father never to return. Some feel betrayed, let down. Others wonder where this started and who is to blame. How did it come to this?
On 19 July, Bartomeu said: “We’re relaxed about Neymar.” Originally, it had seemed implausible but by then they had come to realise that the threat was real. There was little real comfort in the imminent cash injection; instead there were attempts to talk him round. Ernesto Valverde, the new manager, called Neymar “necessary” – a player of a unique talent, whose impact at PSG could, and should, be immensely significant. Whether PSG, and Ligue 1, is the right stage for him is another issue – if it is exposure and status he seeks, will it be satisfied there?
“He could go to any club in the world,” Piqué said. “What does he want? More money or more titles? I could understand that he wants to go to be a leader, but not for a sporting project. With all due respect, he is betting everything on one hand [the Champions League].”
Piqué was playing a hand of his own. A few days before, he had published a picture with Neymar and two words in the silence – “Se queda”, or he is staying.
The story was dead or so everyone momentarily thought. But three days on, with no movement from Neymar, not a word, Piqué confirmed everything except the one thing he had actually said. Neymar was thinking of going; this was real. And that was a concern, no cause for celebration, no opportunity. This was the man who many at Barcelona consider the second‑best player in the world leaving them.
Piqué admitted that saying Neymar was staying was what he hoped, not what he knew. Saying it might help make it so, maybe he could convince the Brazilian to stay. For his own sake, not just theirs. “He doesn’t know what to do,” Piqué said. “We’ll try to help him make the right decision.” Now the decision seems to be made. Whether it is the right one is yet to be seen.
 
I think he's an idiot personally. He's left the most productive front line in football, to essentially be the standout player at another club, something I have reservations he can become, certainly not to the level his so called peers are at anyway.

At Barca they were a devastating trio, now he just seems to be going for personal glory and to step out of the shadow of Messi & Suarez.
 
I think he'll help PSG win Ligue 1 and the champions league... I doubt France will ever have the best league in the world though.
 
I think he'll help PSG win Ligue 1 and the champions league... I doubt France will ever have the best league in the world though.
I'm probably in this boat, it's certainly increased their chances in the CL and they weren't far away last season. It remains to be seen though if Neymar's arrival is the trigger for further strengthening of the team. Certainly French players would be more likely to want to move to PSG than say the PL or BL. Winning L1 is virtually a given since Monaco have sold off some of their best players.
 
Another question... who would you rather have, a 25 year old Suarez or a 25 year old Neymar?
 
Surely with all eyes on PSG's finances they are going to need to sell, potentially weakening them significantly.

It wouldn't surprise me to see lots of bullshit commercial deals being announced next week. Perhaps one of their other friends or business contacts will help out by buying PSG fringe players for way above cost. 17 year old youth player on 15million loan deal, repeat 5 times to 5 different clubs.
 
I love Brazil the team ever since 1982. I can only say that i consider Neymar the best of a bad generation of Brazillian footballers. Dont think he is that great but leaving Barca i can understand as the article above says that team is kinda going downward and is not balanced now. Great having messi and suarez up front but the rest of it is utter shit.

The main problem faced by the top clubs is what i have been telling all of you for most of last season. The world is now full of bang average players and the ones that stand out are so few and are not woth the prices quoted for them. The new gen of players are bought up on systems and athletic ability gone are those that display a bit of excitement.

Sent from my SM-A300FU using SixCrazyMinutes mobile app
 
In a way it shows a level of ambition that he doesn't want to be known as 'the other guy' in a Suarez, Messi, Neymar front 3. He wants to prove himself. Yes - he has gone for a lot of money so you might question the ambition - but I do kind of admire that he wants to dig in and be the leader and the star. I think PSG would need to splash more cash elsewhere to make a CL challenging side, but that is where he needs to pull out his 10/10 performances if he wants the Balon D'Or one day.
 
It's got everything to do with doubling his wage and guaranteeing his dad endless orgies. Everything else is just bollocks to hide that fact, protect his brand and win over the fans, IMO. I don't exactly blame him for doing so.
 
He wont be winning the world player of the year whilst he's there, as he's not good enough, and its a shit league.
 
Is there shades of the Kyrie Irving story here? Both want to be the main man and not play under someone else's shadow?

For non NBA fans, Kyrie doesn't want to play with Lebron any more and try lead a team on his own.

The money Neymar is getting must be making it easy to decide too.
 
In a way it shows a level of ambition that he doesn't want to be known as 'the other guy' in a Suarez, Messi, Neymar front 3. He wants to prove himself. Yes - he has gone for a lot of money so you might question the ambition - but I do kind of admire that he wants to dig in and be the leader and the star. I think PSG would need to splash more cash elsewhere to make a CL challenging side, but that is where he needs to pull out his 10/10 performances if he wants the Balon D'Or one day.
They are pretty close already. Didn't they make the semis recently ? And last season sensationally went out to Barca 6-5 in the last 16 after having thrashed them 4-0 in Paris. They were in the right side of the draw to go all the way to the final where of course anything could happen in a one off.
 
It's got everything to do with doubling his wage and guaranteeing his dad endless orgies. Everything else is just bollocks to hide that fact, protect his brand and win over the fans, IMO. I don't exactly blame him for doing so.

Presumably there is also a lot of pressure in Brazil for him to be "the" star and win the Ballon D'or like those that came before him.
 
Well, failure certainly isn't an option with the money involved , would like him to fail miserably but he will obviously score a bucket load in France.


Bothered
 
With or without Neymar, PSG winning the league is a foregone conclusion, so any talk of him needing a new challenge is BS. My take is he will be off in 2-3 yrs to the PL, where the real challenge is.

* Nothing to do La Liga taxation witchunt?
 
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Is winning Ligue 1 a foregone conclusion in the next few years? Are Monaco capable of retaining their title?

Neymar is used to carrying Brazil so I presume he will once again act as the main man and try restore P$G back to the top of Ligue 1. That won't be enough for him but winning a CL with P$G might elevate him to be that year's World's Best Player and earn him a much coveted Ballon D'Or.
 
In the end, even if he wins the Champions League with PSG, will this give him a better legacy than, say, winning 3 or 4 with Barca (including at least 1 post-Messi)? I'm not convinced. The Ligue 1 titles wont count for much, even against Spanish titles so it really comes down to how they perform in Europe.

They have a chance to take the step to the next level but there are no guarantees they will do so.
 
Not a perfect analogy, but I wonder if the move has shades of Lewis Hamilton leaving McLaren when they had the best car to go to Mercedes who were much lower on the grid.

Everyone thought he was crazy but Mercedes had the biggest budget and within a year or two they had the best car and Hamilton was winning again while McLaren fell behind. PSG could easily become the best side in Europe with Qatar's money and Barcelona may struggle to replace their ageing superstars.
 
Not a perfect analogy, but I wonder if the move has shades of Lewis Hamilton leaving McLaren when they had the best car to go to Mercedes who were much lower on the grid.

Everyone thought he was crazy but Mercedes had the biggest budget and within a year or two they had the best car and Hamilton was winning again while McLaren fell behind. PSG could easily become the best side in Europe with Qatar's money and Barcelona may struggle to replace their ageing superstars.

I think that's fair enough - jumping before the decline - but if his legacy is what he is most concerned about, can he ever achieve that kind of legacy in France?
 
I think that's fair enough - jumping before the decline - but if his legacy is what he is most concerned about, can he ever achieve that kind of legacy in France?

Maradona did ok with Napoli. If he manages to win a CL or two, then it'll be more impressive than what he's done being second fiddle to Messi.

If he stayed where he was, people would say, well it's easy to do it with Barca, it'll be interesting to see how he does with a team not guaranteed success in Europe.
 
Money aside, the future doesn't look bright at Barcelona at the moment. Their recruitment last season was hugely disappointing and there are lots of players in/reaching their 30s who need replacing - Busquets, Rakitic, Pique, Messi, Suarez, Mascherano.

So if he were to leave, which clubs can afford to pay his release clause? Man Utd, Man City and PSG (RM is probably a no-go and have set their sights and budget on Mbappe anyway). Of those sides, the Manchester clubs need to reinforce more than 1 position in the team whereas PSG can afford to channel their efforts towards a particular piece of jigsaw since their team doesn't have much glaring problems at the moment. For all the negativity they receive due to the ridiculous amount they have splurged, it'll be quite a 'victory' if they hold on to Verratti too - seeing how he was Barca's top target.

Finally, the strength of the league. It's not as 1-team league as the Scottish league is for sure - Monaco proved that didn't they? Then, there's the change in ownership over at Marseille and Lille in the past few months. Nice had a Chinese+US investment for 80% stake while Lyon had a 20% stake sold to Chinese investors for €100m too. In terms of stature, Ligue 1 may be behind La Liga currently but that could well change if all these clubs continue to grow. Looking at the talents to have came out from French Ligue 1 and 2, it will be quite a marked improvement if they can hold on to their players longer or sell them off for much higher fees (instead of being picked up at bargain prices).
 
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ZH strikes back!

Qatar are using their SWF money to buy soft power in Europe.

Buying a top soccer club in Paris and buying lots of top players and making themselves very visible to the European public is a neat way to purchase geopolitical allies at a time when the other Gulf countries and seeking to marginalise them.

It looks absurd to ordinary people. But this makes it tougher for EU banks to freeze Qatari assets when EU soccer fans associate that SWF with their number one mainstream sport / entertainment.

The heart of Rome is not the senate it is the colluseum.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-...-what-qatar-doing-while-its-economy-collapses
 

"PSG have an agreement with Kylian Mbappé and are preparing a bid. He has 10 days to sort his future or he stays at Monaco.

Nike inserted a 'big club' clause in their contract with Mbappé that could lead him to PSG, Man City, Barcelona or Chelsea."

If PSG can pull this off... ...:eek:
 
Who actually believed Financial Fair Play was gonna work? It's a fucking piss take, isn't it?
 
Dani Alves threw him under the bus nicely on Saturday.
Neymar claimed he only made his decision to join PSG two days before he signed ...
Alves said on his interview post match that Neymar had asked him to sign for PSG ...
Ha ha it's all about the $$$.
 
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