Taking Expensive To The Next Level

The footballing world was turned upside down when the buzz that Neymar Jr wanted to leave Barcelona came afloat. I mean, they easily had the best strike-force in the world with the Brazilian, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. It seemed only a matter of time before the ‘MSN’ trio would conquer the world.

- Liam Dias

But football is a business and a rather funny one. The Neymar transfer saga is the perfect example of just that. More than getting pulses racing, it’s raised questions aplenty. Why would a player of Neymar’s stature and calibre want to leave arguably the best team in the world?

Let’s address the more pertinent topic in the saga. How did PSG decide that 220 million euros was the price they would pay for Neymar, effectively doubling the current most expensive transfer fee?

We’re not just talking the most expensive footballer of all time; we’re talking a flamboyant personality and a magician with his feet who cost more than a quarter of a billion dollars. That’s Paul Pogba plus Cristiano Ronaldo with enough left over to cover their wages until Christmas!

In his entire time at the Catalan giants, Neymar has always played second fiddle to Messi, although for stretches during the league, the former has often looked the better player by far. The Brazilian is all about the flare. He likes to be the man-in-charge, a prima donna so to say. At Barcelona however, he wasn’t allowed that freedom like he had with the national team.