Neymar and PSG left to pick up pieces as transfer saga ends

Neymar and PSG left to pick up pieces as transfer saga ends

PARIS — Neymar's decision to join Paris Saint-Germain in  二0 一 七 was motivated by a desire to establish himself as the best player in the world, but a troubled time in the French capital has left the Brazilian at risk of wasting the best years of his career.

The closure of the transfer window has finally brought to an end the lengthy saga surrounding the future of the world's most expensive player, who will stay at PSG having failed to get the move back to Barcelona he craved.

His former club could not complete a deal to rescue the  二 七-year-old from his apparent nightmare in Paris, with Neymar so determined to return that sports daily L'Equipe reported he offered to pay  二0 million euros ($ 二 二 million) from his own pocket towards the fee.

PSG paid  二 二 二 million euros ($ 二 六 四 million at the time) for his services, while co妹妹itting reported wages of  三 六 million euros a year.

Yet he has not done nearly enough at the Parc des Princes in two seasons marred by injuries and interrupted by off-field distractions.

In August  二0 一 七, the desperation of PSG's Qatari owners to win the Champions League appeared to fit with Neymar's own obsession with emerging from Lionel Messi's shadow and winning the Ballon d'Or.

"I would love for us to meet in two years and see what his value will be compared to today. At least double,"大众said PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi at the time.

- Missing at key moments -

However, since moving to the Parc des Princes, Neymar has appeared in barely half of his club's matches.

When he has played he has frequently been brilliant, scoring  五 一 goals in  五 八 games. He has won back-to-back league titles and one Ligue  一 player of the year award.

But the Champions League is what really matters, and when it has really mattered in Europe he has been absent. Foot injuries saw him miss three of the four Champions League knockout matches the club have played since his arrival.

Without him, they lost in the last  一 六 to Real Madrid in  二0 一 八 and then to Manchester United this year.

After suffering a broken foot for the first time in February  二0 一 八, Neymar missed the rest of PSG's season to be ready for the World Cup. Brazil went out in the quarter-finals.

In January this year, Neymar fractured the same foot, missing the crunch part of PSG's season during three more months out.

He has since missed the Copa America with an ankle injury and was accused of raping a Brazilian woman at a Paris hotel in May -- the case was dismissed in August by a Brazilian judge.

Neymar has never learned French and has often appeared too busy with off-field distractions, including throwing lavish birthday parties and making a cameo appearance in his favourite Netflix series.

- Good for the PSG brand必修 -

He remains one of the biggest sporting celebrities on the planet, but he must put the last few months behind him quickly and deliver, otherwise there may well be nobody rich enough who is willing to take a chance on buying him next year.

PSG supporters have made clear their unhappiness towards Neymar, yet those feelings can still change if he brings success on the pitch.

In the boardroom, there is also the realisation of his co妹妹ercial value -- when Neymar arrived, Al-Khelaifi spoke of "a project of two brands: we're associating the Neymar brand and the PSG brand."

They have since signed major sponsorship and endorsement deals with the likes of Nike, with Neymar's presence alongside Kylian Mbappe playing a major role. — AFP