Neymar set to jet in for world record move
The summer’s longest-running transfer saga, which this week saw the 25-year-old tracked from the United States to China to the Middle East, back to Barcelona to say goodbye before a swift detour to Porto where he was thought to have undergone a medical, will end in the French capital with new teammates already queuing up to welcome him.
Argentine midfielder Javier Pastore is already set to surrender his symbolic number 10 shirt to his fellow South American at the Parc des Princes, where Neymar could be unveiled to fans on Saturday evening when PSG open their new Ligue 1 season against Amiens.
“I want him to feel comfortable and happy from day one,” Pastore told Cadena SER radio.
On Wednesday, Barcelona admitted defeat in convincing Neymar to stay at the Camp Nou where he has played since 2013.
The player travelled to Porto by private jet from Barcelona surrounded by his entourage, including his father and agent Neymar Sr, after saying goodbye to his Barca teammates.
Among that party was Wagner Ribeiro, an advisor to the player, who claimed PSG would pay his 222 million euro ($260 million) buyout clause in the “coming hours”.
That would more than double the current transfer record set by Paul Pogba’s 105.2 million euro ($111 million) move to Manchester United last year.
Media reports suggested that Neymar had gone to Porto, where PSG sporting director Antero Henrique had worked until recently, to undergo a pre-transfer medical.
Neymar has been tempted to Paris by an astronomical offer that would reportedly see his wages tripled to 30 million euros a year after tax.
However, on the field he also faces the challenge of stepping out of the shadow of fivetime World Player of the Year Lionel Messi to try and prove himself as the world’s best.
“It was a huge pleasure having shared all those years with you, my friend @neymarjr,” Messi posted on Instagram alongside a montage displaying some of the pair’s fin- est moments together. “I wish you lots of luck in this new stage in your life. See you soon tkm,” he added. “Tkm” stands for “te quiero mucho” (I love you loads).
“Thanks brother. I will miss you man,” Neymar replied.
Winning the Champions League for a first time is the dream driving PSG’s owners Oryx Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) to fund a deal that could herald the start of a new era at the elite level of European football.
Since QSI’s takeover in 2011, PSG have failed to make it beyond the quarter-final stage - most notably blowing a 4-0 first-leg lead to lose 6-1 to a Neymar-inspired Barcelona in the last 16 of last season’s competition in March.
Prising Neymar from the grip of Barca would truly announce PSG’s presence as a contender for the likes of Barca, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich to fear.
Neymar has formed one of the deadliest strike partnerships in football history with Messi and Luis Suarez over the past three seasons.
Together they have won two La Liga titles, a Champions League and three Spanish Cups, whilst Neymar has scored 105 goals and provided 80 assists in just 186 games.
However, his four-year spell in Spain has also been overshadowed by the murky transfer deal which brought him to Barcelona from Santos in 2013.
He and his parents as well as Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu face charges of fraud and corruption in an ongoing case brought by DIS, a Brazilian investment company.
DIS owned 40 percent of the players’ rights at the time of the deal and believe they were deliberately cheated out of their real share due to the complex structure of the transfer.
Marcelo scored on the decisive penalty kick as La Liga and Champions League title holders Real Madrid took a shootout victory Wednesday ( Thursday in Manila) over the Major League Soccer All-Stars.
Real Madrid played to a 1-1 draw in regulation time in the MLS All-Star Game before taking the shootout 42 before a sellout crowd of 61,000 at Soldier Field, the home stadium of the NFL’s Chicago Bears.
Borja Mayoral opened the scoring in the 59th minute for Real Madrid, which controlled possession of the ball throughout the contest.
Mayoral found open space in front of the goal before taking a short pass. His well-timed shot deflected off the leg of a diving defender and into the back of the net for the Spanish giants, who were playing without superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.
Dom Dwyer, an England-born member of the US national team, equalized for the MLS squad in the 87th minute with a header from in close.
Dwyer was in the right place for the rebound after Dax McCarty’s header off a corner kick bounced off the post, winning a foot race with Real Madrid’s 19- year- old goalkeeper Luca Zidane, who entered late in the second half.
“It was important to go back with a win but now we are looking forward to the UEFA Super Cup,” said Mayoral, who was named player of the match.
Real Madrid will now return to Europe to meet Manchester United in the UEFA Super Cup in Macedonia on August 8, then take on Barcelona in the two-legged Spanish Super Cup on August 13 and 16 before opening the La Liga season on August 20.
Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane rotated his squad liberally during the contest.The stars made their appearances but he also inserted several youngsters and fringe players who are trying to make the club.
At times when the stars were on the field it was a humbling affair for the MLS.Left back Greg Garza had to leave the game in the first half with a possible separated shoulder that will cost him some time with Atlanta United.
“What an amazing experience! It was an honor to share the field with such great players!” tweeted MLS forward David Villa.
The All- Star match marks the end of a fourmatch, 11- day pre- season US tour for Real Madrid that included a 3- 2 loss to rival Barcelona in a Clasico matchup at Miami on Sunday.
Real Madrid also drew Manchester United before falling in penalties to the English side in San Francisco on July 23 and lost to Manchester City in Los Angeles on July 26.
Real Madrid has captured back-to-back Champions League titles and a record 33 La Liga championships.
Ronaldo, the reigning FIFA player of the year and the world’s highest-paid athlete at a reported $93 million per year, was ordered before a Spanish court on Monday to answer to tax fraud charges. Ronaldo denies the allegations.