The Fallout from Neymar's Transfer to PSG

Looking at the tremendous domino effect that the Brazilian's famous move had on the football world

Accelerated Transfer Fee Inflation

When PSG paid Neymar’s release clause in 2017, they more than doubled the existing transfer world record. La Liga all but requires that all players have release clauses, so Barcelona put Neymar’s at a figure that they thought no one could touch. However, PSG and its deep pockets changed everything. Transfer fees had been on the rise in the years prior to 2017 (Bale had gone for more than Ronaldo just a few years after). Neymar’s transfer only acted as a catalyst to the already existing inflation. In part, this happened because players realized how much clubs could afford. If Barcelona wanted your player to replace Neymar, you wouldn’t part with them without a lot of money since you knew that Barcelona just had a large influx of cash. Clubs realized they could ask for more, and after 2017, it seemed that clubs were willing to pay more. It started with clubs like Barcelona and PSG, but its effect has been seen across the entire market. Many blame Neymar’s transfer as the reason João Félix, Anthony, Enzo Fernandez, and Grealish were so expensive. Back then, 100 million got you one of the best players in the world, a proven product. Now, it gets you a youth product that many hope will pan out.

Caused Barcelona’s Collapse

We now know that there were a lot of problems behind the scenes at Barcelona prior to Neymar’s departure. However, the transfer only acted to escalate them. Rather than reinvest their mountain of cash in several different players, Barcelona felt the best strategy was to attempt to replace Neymar outright. Approximately a month after Neymar had gone to PSG, Barca agreed to a 100 million dollar deal for Ousame Dembéle. Then, in January 2018, they got their long-coveted target of Philippe Coutinho. The two cost a combined 293 million. However, both of these players didn’t really pan out, and in the summer of 2019, Barcelona brought in Antoine Griezmann for around 120 million. It was these big signings that completely ruined Barcelona financially, so much so that they had to let Lionel Messi go in the summer of 2021. Of the three aforementioned players, none panned out for the Catalan club, and they sold all three for a massive loss. In fact, one of Coutinho’s best moments at Barcelona actually came when he was playing against them when he scored two goals when playing for Bayern in the infamous 8-2 Barcelona game. This extravagant spending was the kickstarter to Barcelona’s financial problems, and they have never really recovered. In fact, Dani Olmo is at risk of leaving in January.

Made Liverpool European Champions

Oddly enough, the sale of Barcelona’s star had a profound impact on Liverpool. Barcelona felt that Coutinho was the perfect replacement for Neymar. Jurgen Klopp was not willing to part cheaply with his star Brazilian, and Barcelona was forced to cough up 142 million. With the influx of funds, Liverpool was able to buy Allison, Van Dijk, and a certain Mohamed Salah. These three players help transform Liverpool into one of Europe’s elite teams under Klopp and lead them to a Premier League and Champions League titles. Could you imagine a world where Salah didn’t play for Liverpool? If not for Neymar’s move to PSG, then that was extremely plausible. It is important to note the difference in strategies between Barcelona and Liverpool. Barcelona attempted to replace their big-name star with other big stars rather than distribute the wealth. Meanwhile, Liverpool spread their cash to different positions. The additions of Van Dijk and Allison helped to build one of the defenses in Europe. Salah has undoubtedly become one of the best attackers in Premier League history.

Ushered in New Galatico Eras

Just one year after shattering the world record transfer fee for Neymar, PSG paid 196 million for a then 19-year-old Mbappé. If it hadn’t become clear already, PSG wasn’t messing around. They had the cash, and they weren’t afraid to spend it. Despite the additions of Neymar and Mbappé, they failed to capture the much-coveted Champions League trophy. Rather than pivoting, they doubled down on their strategy. During the summer of 2020/21, they brought in Messi, Ramos, Donnarumma, Hakimi, and Wijnaldum. While most of these transfers were free (most notably Messi), they were paying an absurd amount in wages and signing fees. It was Neymar’s transfer that jumpstarted this Galatico era. Mbappé’s transfer to Real Madrid then ushered in their new Galatico era. It was PSG’s big spending on Mbappé and, more importantly, Neymar that promoted this type of team building. As a result, we have seen Real Madrid follow suit while PSG has largely abandoned the model, choosing to invest in several smaller budget players across the field.

Ruined Neymar’s Career?

Ironically, it was Neymar’s performance against PSG in 2017 UCL knockouts that made him want to leave Barcelona. Neymar had two goals and the game-winning assist in the iconic 6-1 La Remontada match. However, after the match, Messi grabbed most of the headlines. Most reports suggest that Neymar was frustrated by this and felt he would never win a Ballon d’Or if he remained at Barcelona with Lionel Messi. Now, don’t get me wrong, Neymar had some excellent seasons at PSG, such as his inaugural season in Paris and the 2020/21 season, where he led PSG to a UCL final berth. However, Neymar ran into a new set of problems in France’s capital. The first of which was the Brazilian’s availability. Neymar only played 48% of potential league minutes in the French capital compared to 80% in his final three seasons with Barcelona. Secondly, he again dealt with the issue of being overshadowed. Had Neymar known Mbappé would be signed one year later, would he have agreed to go to PSG? Lastly, PSG was unable to win the Champions League during Neymar’s time there, which made it harder for him to be in the Ballon d’Or conversation. The underlying idea is that Neymar was still good at PSG but couldn’t quite reach the level he did at Barcelona. While playing with Messi also meant not grabbing the headlines, it also meant PLAYING with Messi and all that entails. It seems like the moment Neymar put pen to paper at PSG, his career went in the wrong direction. What if Neymar had stayed at Barcelona? Would he have won a Ballon d’Or? This remains one of football’s great questions.