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The current Paris Saint-Germain experiment was intended to be a rich and ambitious scheme that would subjugate all of European soccer to PSG’s whim.
The club had signed the most expensive player in history, three of the greatest players in history, the best young talent in the world, and the most expensive player in the world by the summer of 2021.
Neymar, Kylian Mbappé, and Lionel Messi made up a triumvirate that had been assembled for more than $500 million. Yet PSG’s owner, a division of Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund, reasoned that if the team started winning Champions League championships and setting records, it would all be worthwhile.
Unfortunately, PSG was only successful in dismantling PSG. The Trois Fantastiques’ two-year reign as the club’s top team is now finished.
On Neymar’s impending exit or the chats he had with the 31-year-old Brazilian playmaker whom he once coached at Barcelona, Enrique remained silent over the weekend.
These were the final approvals needed for PSG to release Neymar, six unhappy years after the club spent a single $220 million wire transfer to bring him to France from Barcelona.
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Neymar’s PSG Tenure Ends Without Crown or Glory
Neymar joined the team with the hopes of eluding Messi’s shadow, taking home the Champions League crown, and taking home the Ballon d’Or as the world’s finest player. He won’t leave having succeeded in none of those.
One of the oddest case studies in contemporary soccer is how the PSG superteam idea fell apart as rapidly as it came together. Although the club assembled a front line that would only come around once in a generation, the decline in quality at other positions was obvious.
PSG went through two managers in only two years because neither one could devise a plan to maximize the team’s potential or deal with the egos in the locker room. Despite winning the French league twice in 2022 and 2023, PSG was unable to proceed past the round of 16 in the Champions League.
Neymar didn’t come to such a compromise. There were only two possible outcomes for him after he realized that he was unnecessary. Returning to Barcelona was an option, but the Spanish powerhouse seemed unable to cover his big salary. Nonetheless, that wasn’t an issue for the Saudi Pro League.
Moving to Saudi Arabia was an open admission by each of them that their prime soccer years in Europe were over. PSG was glad to acknowledge that fact on Neymar’s behalf.
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Source: MSN
