For Neymar, life at Paris Saint-Germain was hell. He felt the same way about his “best friend” Lionel Messi, with whom he spent two seasons.
“I went through hell at Paris Saint-Germain,” Neymar told Brazilian publication Globuesport on Thursday (June 4). I came to Paris to make history and become a champion again. That’s why I played with Messi at Paris Saint-Germain. We came together to make history, but we couldn’t do it,” he said.
“Messi walked in heaven with the Argentina national team. I was so happy for him to win the World Cup. But when he came back to Paris Saint-Germain, he went through hell again. In my opinion, Messi was treated so unfairly at Paris Saint-Germain. We were nothing at Paris Saint-Germain. Messi deserved to finish his career in the same way with the Argentina national team.”
Neymar left Barcelona to join Paris Saint-Germain in 2017. He had won a treble with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, but wanted to move on from Messi to the top of the world. Paris Saint-Germain paid Barcelona a record transfer fee (buyout clause) for Neymar.
Neymar was part of a big project for Paris Saint-Germain, but it didn’t work out. He’s been injured at crucial moments and has feuded with fans. More recently, he hasn’t gotten along with Kylian Mbappe, a key player for Paris Saint-Germain.
Paris Saint-Germain wanted to go beyond the French Ligue 1 and dominate Europe, but the Champions League trophy didn’t come easily. This year, with an eye on the future, the club made six additions to the squad, including the likes of Milan Skriniar and Ugarte.
This is why they fired coach Christophe Galtier and handed the reins to Luis Enrique. One of the more forward-thinking signings was Lee Kang-in. He has been getting more and more playing time in Mallorca and has developed into a key player in the team. In the 2022-23 season, he became the first South Korean to score multiple goals in Primera Liga and racked up double-digit offensive points. He was briefly linked with a move away in the winter, but he quickly refocused and showed top-class potential.
Neymar joined the Paris Saint-Germain tour during pre-season, but hasn’t trained since returning to France. He wasn’t even invited to shoot the poster announcing the new season. Neymar wasn’t in Paris Saint-Germain’s plans. The arrival of Dembele only added to the speculation of Neymar’s departure. Some reports even suggested that he could become a free agent and join another team.
He has been linked to Premier League side Chelsea, but has also been strongly linked to his hometown team Barcelona, where he won the treble. Spanish outlet El Chiringito reported, “Neymar and Barcelona have reached an agreement. He will sign a 2+1 year contract and receive €13 million a year. Barcelona wants Neymar and Paris Saint-Germain to terminate their contracts and leave.”
Given Barcelona’s finances, it’s not easy to sign a player with Neymar’s high price tag. However, Spain’s Catalunya Radio reported that “Barcelona has sold a 29.5% stake in Barça Studios. It generated a profit of 120 million euros (about 17.5 billion won). It is twice the amount expected. The sale will allow the club to register the players it needs for the new Primera Liga season. New signings are also possible.”
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The Dembele transfer was a bit of a surprise. Fabrizio Romano tweeted, “Dembele joins Paris Saint-Germain. The buyout clause of €50 million has been triggered” and confirmed the move to Paris Saint-Germain.
Despite the possibility of staying in Europe, Neymar chose Saudi Arabia. Paris Saint-Germain announced Neymar’s departure through the club’s official channels. After confirming the transfer to Al-Hilal, the club sent a message of thanks, but the entire team and coaching staff said goodbye to Neymar at the club’s training center.
Photos and videos were released. Neymar approached his teammates warming up in the gym and high-fived them one by one. He did the same with Lee Kang-in, who was lying down and stretching.
Al-Hilal announced the signing of Neymar on the club’s official channel with a message that read, “A fantastic talent is attracting everyone’s attention” and a short video. “I am here in Saudi Arabia. I am now an Al-Hilal player,” Neymar said, pointing to the Al-Hilal jersey emblem. Paris Saint-Germain also announced their farewell, recapping Neymar’s career so far.
With Neymar’s departure from Paris Saint-Germain confirmed, Lee Kang-in has said goodbye. “It was a short time, but it was really special for me. Thank you so much. I wish you all the best,” and posted a photo of himself with Neymar during pre-season.
Neymar responded by referring to Lee’s words. “Our time together was short, but you have already found a place in my heart. We’ll meet again someday, son,” he wrote.
The relationship between Lee and Neymar was a good one. Even though Lee only joined the team this summer, he was seen laughing and joking with Neymar. When asked about Neymar after the open training session, he said, “Somehow we became close,” and added, “I think he’s close to all the players, not just me. He’s been so good to me since I first arrived.”
Messi left Paris Saint-Germain faster than Neymar. Paris Saint-Germain wanted to re-sign Messi and triggered his option for a one-year extension after this season, but he was reluctant. After winning the World Cup in Qatar with Argentina, there was a brief period of high spirits, but negotiations for an extension stalled. In the second half of the season, Messi was away as an ambassador for Saudi Arabia and crossed a river that he was not allowed to cross due to his suspension. Paris fans also criticized Messi for traveling to Saudi Arabia after the team’s loss.
Messi parted ways with Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent. Upon leaving Paris, he said, “I want to thank the people of Paris for the last two seasons. I wish them all the best for the future,” he said in his official farewell.
Inter Miami, who brought Messi to the club, said: “We are honored to welcome him to his new home. We have an ambitious plan to bring the best soccer player in the world to the club in 2018. Thank you to our fans for believing in us. We will continue to turn dreams into reality.”
Owner David Beckham added: “Ten years ago, when I was trying to build a new team in Miami, I believed it was possible to bring a great player here. Today that dream has come true. I’m so proud and I can’t wait to see Messi play.”
Inter Miami has been on a roll since Messi joined the club. Despite being in the bottom half of the MLS table, they’ve taken points from teams in the top half. Messi’s overwhelming offensive output has led to trophy after trophy for mid-table teams.
Messi’s dominance helped Inter Miami win their first trophy. They took down the big guns in the League Cup to take home the trophy. He also won the Most Valuable Player and Top Goalscorer awards, establishing himself as the “God of Soccer. Last month, he came within a whisker of winning his second trophy of the season when he secured a 5-4 victory on penalties in the US Open Cup semifinals against Cincinnati at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, after an extra-time thriller.
After a recent 10-match scoring drought, the offense has been clicking again in the league. He recorded two assists in a 3-1 win over LA FC in the 25th round of the 2023 U.S. Major League Soccer (MLS) World Cup at Bank of California Stadium.
“I spent a lot of years at Barcelona,” Messi said. But leaving Barcelona happened very quickly. It was hard, I had to adapt to a completely different place from where I’ve lived my whole life. The city, the sport, everything was hard. The move to Paris Saint-Germain was not the result I wanted, but fortunately, what is happening in Miami is completely different and I am happy.” 바카라