Neymar, who had been dogged by transfer speculation for several days, started his 19-20 season at PSG with a stunning barb winner.
He was booed by the crowd at home for being so heavily linked with a move. What is his transfer saga mystery? Let us review together
After months of talk, bluster, posturing, claim and counter-claim we have - for the time being - reached the end of the road. Neymar is finally kept at Paris St-Germain.
As the dust settles it is worth noting that the person least surprised by this is the PSG forward himself who, despite pushing for a move for months, feared from day one this summer that this was a deal always destined to fail.
The minimum requirement for the successful outcome of any sales transaction - be it for a yard of elastic or a billionaire footballer with talent to burn - is either a willing buyer or an enthusiastic seller, or preferably both.
On this occasion, however, Barcelona felt the French champions never wanted to sell and PSG always thought the Spanish giants never wanted to buy.
This was the mutual mistrust that underscored the negotiations from the start. Even by the convoluted, conspiratorial and brain-achingly complex minefield that is football transfer negotiations, this was always going to be a uniquely unwieldy deal to bring to a conclusion.
So, how did we get here?
In April, the 27-year-old Brazilian - who moved to France from Barcelona for a world record £200m in August 2017 - started talks to renew his PSG contract.
Unfortunately, there were a number of small "issues" making him unhappy: promises PSG were not fulfilling, boos from some of the fans, a spat with fellow forward Edinson Cavani as to who should take penalties, internal divisions within the camp, a sense the Ultra fans were keener on Cavani than him; and the feeling he was not being given sufficient protection by referees.
In January, three fouls in quick succession by Strasbourg's Anthony Goncalves - all of which merited a yellow card, none of which received one - left Neymar with the foot injury that kept him out for 18 games. He was not impressed.
Despite boasting one of the world's strongest squads, some players exist in a gilded cage at PSG, and a lack of competition in a weak French Ligue 1 created a bickering, febrile atmosphere within the camp.
Neymar loves Paris - who wouldn't? - and was negotiating a new contract despite his misgivings and despite flirting for a while with a return to the Nou Camp. But then something happened soon after Barcelona lost to Liverpool in the Champions League semi-finals in May.
The captains of Barcelona - Lionel Messi, Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets, Sergi Roberto and Luis Suarez - had been told by president Josep Maria Bartomeu that not only would the club try to get Neymar, but also that he was confident the player would come back.
Neymar was told by players he communicates with regularly (Messi, Pique and Suarez) that the deal would happen and that he was needed if Barcelona were to regain the Champions League. It got under the Brazilian's skin, not least because he was never totally convinced by his decision to leave the Nou Camp in the first place.
Messi, 32, also suggested - given his own age - Neymar could probably become the centre of the Barcelona universe in a couple of years.
And so it began.
At this point, senior Barcelona players were told the club had not signed forward Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid - but their La Liga rivals had publicly said they had seen documents confirming the deal was agreed back in March.
The problem was that everyone in Neymar's camp thought Barcelona didn't have the money - especially if, as they suspected, Griezmann was a done deal.
Barca had to take out a six-month unsecured loan for 35m euros (£31.6m) from banks to bring in the France international, so one can only imagine the financial ramifications the purchase of Neymar would have had for the club.
Meanwhile, PSG sporting director Leonardo, who returned to the club in June, muddied the waters with dismissive comments about the Brazilian in front of everyone else, to the point where Neymar stopped talking to him.
Leonardo realised too late he had crossed the line and backtracked by singing the player's praises and starting the strategy of confusion he has used over the past four months.
From the start, Barcelona felt the PSG official was saying one thing to them and the player while simultaneously following instructions from the French club's owners that Neymar should not be allowed to leave under any circumstances.
With no written offer from Barcelona forthcoming, it dawned on Neymar that the move was perhaps not going to happen, so he met club officials a few days before the first game of the season and agreed to play. The day before the match, Leonardo asked him to issue a statement that he no longer wanted to leave. Neymar baulked at the idea, telling PSG that he was ready to play but wasn't about to start making public statements.
That is not surprising. Messages were seeping out of Barcelona from his former team-mates telling him to hang on in there because it was going to happen.
In fact, Barcelona wanted to demonstrate to everyone just how committed they were to doing the deal. The Catalan club insist the leaking of details of a trip to Paris of their decision makers (but not Bartomeu) eight days ago was not of their doing - but it did not damage them because it showed them trying hard.
The bottom line was this: if Barcelona wanted Neymar it was going to cost them 215m euros (£194m). The Spanish club told PSG that players would have to be included.
Eventually, on 27 August, Barcelona submitted the only written offer they ever made - 115m euros (£107m) in cash, 15m euros (£13.5m) in bonuses and three players.
PSG decided they had to be defender Jean-Clair Todibo, midfielder Ivan Rakitic (and both reluctantly agreed to move), plus forward Ousmane Dembele on loan, although the latter swiftly said: "Non merci."
France international Dembele was never going to move. At one point, intermediaries thought they might be able to change his mind, and the player spoke to PSG boss Thomas Tuchel on four occasions, but the French club never really forced the issue with the 22-year-old or attempted to discuss terms - which again suggested to Barcelona that they weren't that interested in doing the deal.
Nonetheless, talks continued. PSG began to um and ah about the make-up of the 15m euros in add-ons - but then, when that was agreed, they said they wanted 150m euros (£135m) up front rather than 130m euros plus bonuses.
Neymar's reaction in a letter to the club was: no problem. The Brazilian was willing to cover the shortfall in five payments of 4m euros. However, a few minutes after his message arrived, PSG told him the French Football Federation did not allow players to make such payments.
In the meantime, Real Madrid - who in the end said they weren't really that interested - had stuck their heads above the parapet and made an offer of £100m euros plus Gareth Bale, James Rodriguez and Keylor Navas. A look at Bale's salary was enough to put an end to that idea, and the Wales forward was not going to move anyway. In truth, PSG always felt Real wanted to get Neymar on the cheap while getting rid of some of their own squad, and also give their fans that feeling of schadenfreude that comes when you get one over one of your main rivals.
Italian champions Juventus also entered the fray, offering 100m euros and forward Paulo Dybala - a bid that was also rejected by PSG.
No Premier League club made an approach, although Manchester United had asked about the player when he was at Barcelona with a buyout clause of 190m euros (£172m). Neymar decided against the move.
In the end, "Spain" was the answer Neymar gave when asked where he wanted to go, suggesting he wouldn't have minded going to either of the La Liga giants. He wisely chose not to say Barcelona or nowhere, for the obvious reason that if the deal went wrong - as indeed it eventually did - he would end up looking silly.
Did Barcelona want Neymar enough? It is worth noting that when they needed to convince Frenkie de Jong to sign from Ajax, the Netherlands midfielder was visited by Bartomeu to complete the deal. At no point during the Neymar negotiations did Bartomeu meet PSG counterpart Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the player or his father. Furthermore, one of the original proposals from Barcelona (not in written form) was Philippe Coutinho plus a cash figure, which was immediately rejected by PSG for being "laughable".
It felt like Barca were not putting all of their weight into the transfer.
In many ways it was a win-win situation for Bartomeu. It didn't happen, so he can now shrug his shoulders and say "look, we tried", plus those who did not want the return of a player who has taken the club to court on two occasions are kept happy.
Had it happened, despite the crippling financial burden for a club already estimated to be 600m euros (£543m) in debt, Barcelona thought they might have found a way around it. If they really wanted Neymar to return that is.
As well as needing to do a lot of financial engineering to make it happen - including getting rid of two of their biggest earners - the wage structure at the Nou Camp would have been a potential headache, because Barcelona are at the very limit. No-one knew for sure whether La Liga would have sanctioned Neymar's signing, given the limits of financial fair play regulations.
Negotiations were always going to be complicated by there being no buyout clauses in France. Interestingly, though, next year Neymar will have been at PSG for three seasons and, according to Fifa regulations, can buy himself out of his contract after a fee is decided by a tribunal.
If things don't go well for Neymar, that could well be the next step. However, it's not all doom and gloom because he does a least enjoy a productive and respectful relationship with PSG boss Tuchel, and that will resume now everything has been settled.
How the various Barcelona players involved now react remains to be seen.
Will Dembele be cast as the scapegoat for refusing to facilitate the move? How will those effectively told by the club they were no longer required feel about staying? How will the players who thought Neymar would be alongside them to strengthen them feel about his non-arrival? Will Barcelona return at a later date - this time with all seriousness - for the Brazilian?
Time will tell.
iamildaz
707
Neymar life cycle as a flower....
DaMhztourage
343
His recent bicycle kick goal will add more episode to his transfer soap opera ..
Dodcampns
173
Here’s how it really went: Neymar does really well in Brazil and gets attention from Real Madrid and Barca. Real Madrid out bid Barca for Neymar. However Barca came back and made an ILLEGAL deal to sign Neymar, they slid money under the table. Neymar choosing the money option.... Neymar moves to Barca does incredibly well, and is arguably the third best player. PSG come in and offer Neymar EVEN MORE MONEY and he is like “Cha Ching, I want more money” He than leaves to PSG. Realizes how much he messed up, cries and throws fits that he wants to go back to Barca. Keep in mind he wants to go back, but he demands Barca GIVES HIM MORE MONEY. He is also still fighting for 40m from Barca. Let’s keep it real here, and say Neymar is indeed Moneymar.
NeymarJr09
63
When you will play for another team,I will support that team only for you,my Neymar.Now I support PSG only for you,Neymar.Because I looooooove you soooo much,Neymar😭😭😭😭😭.You are the super hero....
zaebcdlsz
54
Every single day Neymar Neymar Neymar !!!!!Am fed up with all the stories , social media input etc..... why make such a big fuss about it man !!??? . Its becoming so boring !!!!! He is not even a good role model or neither a good leader for the world of football , young players and children !!!!!! Its mainly because of his price tag that making him famous when he is not !!!!! Talking about the like of RONALDO , MESSI , MBAPPE SUAREZ , SALAH , ALISSON ,VAN DIJK , AGUERO ,DEBRYNE, MANE , ABRAHAM, JESUS , OTEMENDI , SANE , GRIEZMAN,POGBA ,LOWENDOSKI, RASHFORD ,AUBAMEYANG, KANE ,SON, FIRMINHO , AND MANY MANY MORE ARE MUCH MORE INTERESTING TO HIT THE HEADLUNES & MAKING MUCH MORE SENSE !!!!
BUT EVERYDAY NEYMAR STORY IS SO BORING , . Such a childish behaviour , attention seeker , complainer , Diving like snake when getting frustrated on the pitch , always after women , clubs, disco , showing off erc........
Talking point about his move to BARCA is also nonsense as he wanted to move to PSG himself. !!!!! Knowing of his price tags ,he even became worst . Always sustained injuries, missing so many matches for his club , playing on the bench , or only half an hour .The only good thing I heard about him , is he won the Copa America with BRAZIL .I WONDER HOW MANY MATCHES HE PLAYED OR MISSED !!!!
Not very long after his transfer to PSG , he starts complaining as he wanted to return back to BARCA !!!!! HIS Price tag valuation has gone down much more lower , knowing of all his critical & political issues , no other team are interested to have him as still wants to be the highest paid footballer !!!!! Has he won any INDIVIDUAL AWARDS ????? No !!!!
AGAIN LOOK AT MESSI , SUAREZ ,RONALDO ,SALAH , ALISSON AND VANDIJK & OHERS .....!!!!! THEY KEEP PERFORMING BETTER AND BETTER , HUNGRY FOR GOALS . EVEN THE LIKE OF A DEFENDER VAN DIJK AND ALISSON AS A KEEPER HAS WON SO MANY INDIVIDUAL AWARDS AND TROPHIES FOR THEIR CLUBS AND COUNTRIES !!!!! SO MANY AWARDS IN THE EPL AND UEFA !!!!! MESSI & RINALSO STILL HITTING THE HEADLINES FOR THEIR AGE !!!!
IF I WAS COACHING ANY OF THOSE BIG CLUBS OUT THERE ,I WOULDNT HAVE HIM IN MY TEAM , UNLESS AT A LOWER PRICE TAG AND VERY WELL DISCIPLINED . THERE ARE NO CONSISTENCY IN MANY AREAS WITH NEYMAR AND ALWAYS BEING UNJURED !!!! WHAT IS THE POINT U BRING HIM TO YOUR CLUB WHEN HE CANNOT PLAYS MOST OF THE MATCHES AND GET INJURED TOO EASILY .THEN MISS OUT ON MOST OF THE SEASON , BEING ON THE BENCH OR MISSING IMPORTANT COMPETITION !!!!! LIFE IS LIKE A JOURNEY AND WE SEE OTHER PKAYERS GROWN MATURITY AND LEARNED FROM PREVIOUS MISTAKES .
BUT HAS NEYMAT MATURED UP ENOUGH !!!!?????????
I DONT CARE WHAT OTHERS HAS TO SAY ABOUT MY COMMENT , BUT NEYMAR IS NOT WORTH IT ANYMORE !!!! THE PRESS & SOCIAL MEDIA ALWAYS WANTS ANY PETTY ISSUES TO MAKE UP THEIR STORIES AND HEADLUNES MAINLY BECAUSE OF HIS PRICE TAG & SALARY !!!! ITS JUST THAT HE CREATED A PERSONALTY FOR HIMSELF ! SO BE IT !!!! BUT REMEMBER HOW MANY VERY GOOD FOOBALLERS WE HAVE OUR THERE , WITH EXCELLENT RECORDS , WELL MATURED , GOOD ROLE MODELS , STRONG LEADERSHIP , EXCELLENT SKILLS , QUALITIES , WELL DISCIPLINED SHOWING GREAT ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO THEIR FANS AND CLUB . THEY DONT MIXED UP THEIR PRIVATE LIFE TO CERTAIN EXTENT WITH THEIR PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALLER CAREER. ITS A PLEASURE TO WATCH THEM PLAYING REGARDLESS WHAT TEAM THEY PLAYS FOR !!!!!!
JamesWalker
43
Article summary: Neymar was planning a move to Barça, then He started creating Rumors, we Afers were busy enjoying his rumors, He didn't stop there, he create& create & create..Psg became Angry then decides to punish him, Even the old lady can't bare him out. The Catalans Even issues money, made sacrifices but no Avail...Neymar decides to stop for now, play, then come back for season 2
raynknight
37
LoNger Than His Career was His SaGa......... It aint Over till He Says Over ........ The OnLy One who Can Challenge Messi and CR7 for their Thrones...... Ladies and Gentlemen , This is NeYmar , The world's Most Extensive Player
jizbklrsty
36
This was actually 2 bull fights where a goat was squashed in between. Big people with big money and power always have enemity in their cores. Somehow they want to takeover or win always. Such is the mindset of these people as a result Mafia groups are born. The world has seen it. They are clever and effective to control the beauracy and play their mission wherever applicable. They just need to find the target. Such that nobody suspects. Neymar was the right choice due to his antics and off field events. This big mission impossible was clearly known to both Bartemou as well as Al Khellafi but still played the game yet unknown to all of us. Only time will unroll their motives and their win win or loose loose situation. Until then we wait to see but for Neymar he's surely been the chosen SCAPE GOAT.
zaebcdlsz
34
WHERE IS VAR !!!????? HE TOUCHED ME for him !!!!!
NEYMAR :- .OOH how I miss my MESSI & SUAREZ !!!! .
BARCELONA please take me back !!!!
BARCA FANS :- WE DONT WANT U BACK , U WILL FLIRTWITH OTHERS .......... AND WE DONT DO SNAKE DIVING ON OUR PITCH . U HAVE BECOME A VERY GOOD SWIMMER NOW !!!! GO TO THE POOL ,... SORRY WE ARE SAVING our WATER .
NEYMAR JUNIOR :- DAD !!!! WHY DONT U CHANGE CAREER AND PLAY RUGBY INSTEAD !!????
NEMAR :- HMMM, MAY BE U R RIGHT MY CHILD !!!!! EXCELLENT IDEA !!!
SingamFootball
10
Neymar transfer saga chapter has been closed. new chapter will resume it's heated stories next year.
SINGAM23
8
just when a wound takes time to heal, so does Neymar's love for PSG comes slow and steadily