Barcelona created a stir particularly towards the closing days of the transfer window with the entire Neymar chapter coming under the speculation of media. Reports towards the end of the transfer window made it seem like Neymar would be making his return to Camp Nou.
Neymar was unsettled in Paris after two seasons at the Parc des Princes following his world record transfer move. The player has been an exceptional performer for the Parisians. However, Neymar has created a lot of mayhem during his two-year tenure with Paris Saint-Germain.
In the end, Neymar stayed put in Ligue 1 despite heavy talks of his return to Spain to re-join Barcelona where he had won the UEFA Champions League in 2014/15. Barcelona’s captain, Lionel Messi recently stated in an interview that he would have loved to had Neymar in the squad once again.
The Argentine also subtly questioned Barcelona’s approach towards signing the Brazilian attacker, whom Messi considers to be one of the best players in the world.
The player has been quoted saying by Spanish publication, Sport –
“I would have loved to have Neymar back. I understand those people who are against his return and it’s understandable for what happened with Ney and the way that he left.
But thinking about it on a sporting level, I personally think Neymar is one of the best players in the world and having him in our squad would increase our chances of achieving our objectives.
Honestly, I don’t know if the club did everything possible to get him back but I’m sure negotiating with PSG isn’t easy”
Despite all the intense media speculation surrounding Neymar’s return to Spain, one question largely remains – if Neymar is needed at Barcelona? The 4th Official tried to find out a few answers to this question –
No Place in the Squad
The current Barcelona squad is filled with an array of world-class and proven attackers. Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Ousmane Dembele and the summer recruit, Antoine Griezmann, are some of the finest attackers in the game of football. Barcelona have even offloaded quality players like Malcom and Coutinho. So it’s hard to understand where Neymar would have actually slotted in at Barcelona.
If Barcelona ended up signing Neymar; Dembele or Suarez would have had to head towards the exit gate at the Camp Nou.
A Clash of Ego’s
The current Barcelona squad is one star-studded team with the likes of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Antoine Griezmann, Gerard Pique, Ter Stegen – to name a few. The addition of Neymar, who has had disciplinary issues throughout his career, would have only made the dressing room atmosphere hostile and unpleasant.
Additionally, Neymar was involved in a training ground bust-up with Barcelona’s established right-back, Nelson Semedo right before the Brazilian made his move to PSG. It would not have been an ideal situation for Ernesto Valverde to have the two old foes at the same place and at the same time.
Neymar’s Lack of Respect
Neymar has shown a lack of respect on two occasions in the period of two years, and it speaks volumes about his commitment as a professional footballer. The most recent incident being his off-field tantrums at Paris Saint-Germain where he refused to play for the team until a concrete decision regarding his future was made. Neymar has just made his return to the Parisians squad and is expected to have a harsh time following his decision to sit out earlier.
The other occasion is when he decided to leave Barcelona and join the French heavyweights. Barcelona were the side that played a considerable role in Neymar’s development as a footballer and his evolution into a world-class attacker. Besides, there was no apparent reason for Neymar to leave Barcelona either.
It would have been extremely disheartening for several Barcelona fans at that time, and it would be utterly disrespectful to them if Neymar were allowed to return to Camp Nou.
The Summary
No doubt, Neymar would have been a worthy addition to the Barcelona squad. However, the attacker comes with a particular set of problems that he is extremely prone to, and the Catalan side are just better off without those antics.
