On Thursday, Neymar completed his transfer from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain. He’s the most expensive footballer ever at €222 million, and he’s now the highest-salaried athlete in the world. The transfer was a convoluted one, with a lot of angles, and we have all of them covered.
Neymar transfer news: Full coverage of his move to PSG
Everything you need to know about the Brazilian superstar making his way to Paris.
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- The deal got underway when Neymar paid his own release clause. La Liga refused to accept PSG’s money when they went to buy out his contract, so representatives for the player went to Barca’s offices to do it themselves, presumably with PSG’s money.
- Wondering what kind of things you can buy with €222 million? Here are six things worth that much money, to give you some perspective.
- La Liga said they refused to take the money because of potential Financial Fair Play violations. But that’s none of their business, and plus, there are a lot of ways for PSG to make the Neymar transfer comply with FFP.
- The partnership between Neymar and Lionel Messi will be missed. Here’s Messi’s heartfelt goodbye message.
- Contrary to popular belief, Neymar’s father — who doubles as his agent — did not push him to make this move for financial reasons. Neymar says his father was opposed to the move, and the decision was his own.
- At Barcelona, Neymar was always going to be in Messi’s shadow. He felt like he needed to go somewhere new to build his own legend, not piggyback off someone else’s.
- Following this move, long-time Blaugranes are experiencing deja vu. They’ll remember how much it hurt when Figo left Barca for Real Madrid.
- But Barcelona is not inherently special. Their motto is mes que un club, but to most people, it’s just another club. Neymar isn’t required to revere them.
- So what’s next for Barcelona? Here’s who the club is targeting with their €222 million in spending money.
There’s also a lot to consider from the Barcelona fan perspective. Here’s what they’re saying over at FC Barcelona blog Barca Blaugranes.
- Who should replace Neymar? Here’s player stat radars, without names. Choose your favorite, then check to see who you liked.
- The deal is done, so there’s no reason for Barca to sulk. They need to treat this like an opportunity.
- Cules are apparently ready to move on too. A majority of fans seem happy to take PSG’s €222 million and get rid of a player who wanted out.
- But many disagree with Neymar’s explanation for leaving, and think the player is selling his soul for fame and fortune.
- Barca is still working on finding Neymar replacements, but they’ve already used some of their money to improve their defense with Iñigo Martinez.
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