Not many would have believed at the start of the summer transfer window that Neymar would leave Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain but the world’s most expensive (and shocking) transfer has taken place. The Brazil international forward has decided to give up on playing with the likes of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Andres Iniesta, and Gerard Pique to don the colours of PSG.
For many, this is a step down. After all, Barcelona have a far better squad than PSG and are also one of the top favourites to win the Champions League. Moreover, La Liga is a much better, more competitive, and richer domestic league than Ligue 1. Did money play a major role in the transfer? Probably. After all, it would have been hard for Barcelona to turn down a transfer fee of £200 million and, for Neymar, a weekly salary of £537,000 after tax.