Football's craziest transfers: Neymar to PSG and one man's failed attempt to become the centre of the soccer universe

Zlatan Ibrahimovic's switch to Manchester United in 2016 left PSG with something of a hole to fill. Paris is a city of grandeur, but without the swashbuckling Swede, who was going to draw the crowds to Parc des Princes? Cue the arrival of a Brazilian who had developed into a world-class performer in Spain but could be tempted by the spotlight and heaps of money. Neymar became the target and PSG thought they had convinced him to join that year, but for a late change of mind.

Frustrated, PSG tried to forget about him. But they couldn't. Neymar made sure of that when the sides met in the Champions League last 16 in early 2017. The night that would become known as 'La Remontada'' (The Comeback') and remains Neymar's magnum opus to this day. Two goals and a late assist to seal a dramatic 6-5 aggregate victory from 4-0 down… salt in the wounds for PSG, for sure.

That summer, the French club drew up a list of transfer targets and Neymar wasn't on it. Instead, they shortlisted Kylian Mbappe, Alexis Sanchez, Philippe Coutinho or Sergio Aguero. That was until PSG chairman Nasser al-Khelaifi received a call from Neymar's team. After four seasons, the Brazilian was ready to leave Barcelona.

PSG knew that Neymar wouldn't come cheap. His release clause had been upped to €222m in November 2016, and his camp would only demand wages that reflected his status as his new club's most valuable player. Indeed, multiple meetings were required before PSG chiefs gave the green light to pursue the forward, with the commercial impact of his arrival being a persuasive factor in the decision.

Manchester United had just set a new world-record transfer fee when they paid €105m for Paul Pogba, so for that figure to be doubled just one year later reflects the seismic scale of Neymar's move, and it was another reminder that football operates in a completely different stratosphere. Yet it was the result of multiple elements combining at the perfect time; the ultra-rich PSG, desperately craving a new superstar, and Neymar, the uber-talented footballer approaching the peak of his powers, desperately craving centre stage.

The two parties thought they were an ideal match for one another and, after PSG offered him a €36.8m yearly salary, an agreement was quickly reached to complete the biggest transfer in football history.

The emergence of the Saudi Pro League, and the Chinese Super League before it, has given rise to a number of transfers that are entirely fuelled not by the pursuit of bigger trophies, but by a desire to fill one's pockets. But it's not right to suggest that was the case for Neymar. Sure, the money played a part, as the Brazilian more than doubled his wages when he moved to France, while the commercial opportunities that came with being in Paris, and the face of its football team, were unprecedented.

But PSG offered more than just stacks of cash. This was a club that didn't know how to win the Champions League, the trophy that their Qatari owners yearned for. Neymar had done so with Barcelona in 2015, and had won everything else there is to win in Spain. The task of propelling PSG to their maiden European triumph represented a new challenge that he was excited for.

There were individual motivations as well. Neymar had been widely tipped to become the player to break Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's stranglehold on the Ballon d'Or, but he needed to be Messi's adversary, not his team-mate, to do so. Supporting Messi's yearly campaign jeopardised his own chances of winning the Golden Ball; only by leaving Camp Nou, and in turn, Messi's shadow, could Neymar become a Ballon d'Or winner.

Javier Pastore relinquished the No.10 shirt at PSG, paving the way for Neymar to take centre stage. There were several esteemed players alongside him in the dressing room, including Thiago Silva, Edinson Cavani and good friend and compatriot Dani Alves, but only one player had superstar status. Or so he thought.

Neymar's move was confirmed on August 3, 2017, and Pique was mocked (his tweet stands at nearly 180,000 retweets). Messi said farewell with a video that has been viewed more than 16 million times on Instagram. And roughly 45,000 PSG fans flocked to Parc des Princes for Neymar's unveiling.

This was not a straightforward parting of ways, though. A dispute would quickly emerge over the finances involved in Neymar's move; PSG were eventually cleared of breaking FFP rules after a UEFA investigation, which came after the club agreed a €180m deal with Monaco for Kylian Mbappe just weeks after signing Neymar.

While UEFA were investigating PSG's finances, a nastier battle over money was ensuing between Neymar and his old team. Shortly after leaving, Neymar filed a lawsuit against Barcelona claiming he was owed a €43.6m renewal bonus that was agreed when he signed a contract extension with the Blaugrana in 2016. The Brazil international had received around €14m of the bonus by the time he left, and he wanted the remaining amount. Barcelona responded by suing Neymar for breach of contract and wanted the €14m back, as well as €8.5m in damages, plus interest. A judge sided with Barca and Neymar was ordered to return €6.7m to his former employers.

For Barcelona fans, Neymar's exit was tough to stomach. Less than 10 months after his departure, he had committed the next five years of his future to the club. "I decided to stay at Barca because I feel at home here," he said about his contract extension. "I'm happy with my team-mates and I'm a Barca man."

His departure, then, felt like a betrayal to a wave of supporters who set about burning their Neymar jerseys and chanting 'Neymar muerete' - 'Neymar die' in English - during a pre-season friendly against Chapecoense.

Three years after moving to Paris, Neymar had delivered three Ligue 1 titles, two Coupe de France trophies and two Coupes de la Ligue. And on August 23, 2020, he was on the cusp of bringing PSG's owners the trophy they coveted the most. Yet, much like Neymar's PSG career, the 2019-20 Champions League final was an occasion that for all the hype, wasn't as sparkling as many had hoped it would be.

The final was played without a crowd due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and PSG were beaten 1-0 by Bayern Munich thanks to Kingsley Coman's header. Neymar saw a shot blocked by Manuel Neuer's leg in the 18th minute and couldn't find the target in second-half injury-time after being picked out by Mbappe. By the end, infamously harsh French newspaper L'Equipe had seen enough to award the Brazilian a rating of just 3/10, and PSG haven't returned to the final since.

The key question to ask about Neymar's PSG career, then, is: Was it all worth it? The fee. The wages. The fanfare. The injuries. Dealing with a player who would ultimately become impossible to handle. The same question can be put to Neymar, too. He left Barcelona to escape Messi and win the Ballon d'Or; he wouldn't come close to winning it in Paris, and Messi even ended up joining him at the Parc des Princes.

Neymar went to France to be the star of the show, but he didn't foresee Mbappe's emergence. Suddenly, he found himself competing with someone else for the spotlight, someone younger and adored in his home country, even more so after Les Bleus' 2018 World Cup triumph.

Injuries also plagued Neymar's time in Paris. Remarkably, he never appeared in more than 22 games in a single Ligue 1 campaign, and in total he missed 119 matches across six years as metatarsal and ankle problems hindered not only his playing time, but also dashed any hope of reaching the pinnacle of the game.

Neymar didn't help himself, though. Lavish parties and late-night poker tournaments became the norm. The day after PSG were beaten by Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League round-of-16 meeting in 2023, Mbappe publicly urged PSG's players to "sleep well and eat well" ahead of the return match. Neymar, however, enjoyed a late trip to McDonald's. "It's my life, I do what I want", he said, defiantly. But you have to wonder if, deep down, Neymar battles with a sense of regret about his efforts to turn his outrageous talent into something legendary.

Neymar made it rather easy for PSG to move on from him after the 2022-23 season. When he was available, he was scintillating: 118 goals and 77 assists in 173 appearances, helping the Parisians to five Ligue 1 titles in six years. But with injuries mounting and concerns over his attitude, the opportunity to dissolve this fractured relationship was appreciated by both parties. Al-Hilal came calling in the summer of 2023 and Neymar signed a two-year contract with the Saudi Pro League side worth €300m.

"Do we realise that Neymar, in terms of transfer and salary, is the biggest failure in the history of football?" remarked RMC Sport journalist Daniel Riolo. "I can't think of a bigger failure for what he cost, it's horrible."

Riolo won't be alone in that opinion, though he's ignoring the commercial heights that Neymar helped PSG reach. Last December, the club welcomed American investors, Arctos, with PSG valued at $4.32 billion. Neymar was a key part in accelerating the team's growth, opening the Parisians to new markets and a partnership with Air Jordan that turned the club into a global brand, making their shirts a sought-after fashion statement. A string of A-list celebrities, including Rihanna and Kendall Jenner, flocked to Parc des Princes to watch Neymar play. And so while PSG didn't secure the Champions League trophy they coveted, their new status as a celebrity hotspot arguably became even more valuable.

As for Neymar, his dream of winning the Ballon d'Or is unlikely to ever be realised. Six years wasted? Not at all. But fans are left with a feeling of unfulfillment, asking ourselves what could have been had Neymar dedicated himself to maximising his ability, or even opted to stay at Barcelona and wait for Messi to pass him the mantle.

Neymar will be remembered as a modern-day great, and we're lucky to have witnessed one of football's greatest entertainers. But PSG was meant to be his launchpad to something more and, ultimately, it wasn't.