PSG will listen to offers for Neymar

The coming season is an important one for Neymar, who, for all of his obvious ability and talent, has endured a difficult time in France in recent seasons despite still being among the highest-paid players in world football. Amid the club’s owners seeking to put an end to the apparent “blingbling” dressing room culture, new Paris Saint-Germain manager Christophe Galtier could be forced to part ways with the Brazil international should an appropriate offer for his services arrive. Neymar, though, took his promising pre-season form into the team’s Trophee des Champions clash against Nantes on Sunday night as he scored a remarkable free-kick and later converted a penalty he won in a display in which he was a constant threat. PSG, however, might be concerned that the distraction of a looming trial might stand in his way of delivering the goods

consistently. Neymar has been accused of fraud after his 2013 transfer to the Catalan giants from Santos and will appear in court just weeks ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. So, what is the latest regarding his future? Soccer Laduma senior writer Kurt Buckerfield put these questions to Brazilian football expert Brunno Carvalho, who believes Kylian Mbappe’s attitude and decision to reject Real Madrid has led to Neymar becoming a little less important to last season’s Ligue 1 champions.

Kurt Buckerfield: How do Brazilians perceive Neymar? He is closing in on Pele’s record, but it seems his relationship with fans hasn’t been great in recent years…

Brunno Carvalho: Neymar’s relationship with Brazilian fans is complicated. He is very popular among the younger fans but not as popular with the older ones. Since he started at Santos, Neymarmania (Neymar fever) is a very strong thing in Brazil. Children dress like him, wear the same hairstyle. Recently, when he reached the Champions League final with PSG, this relationship became even stronger. He started to wear glasses called “juliete”, which is very popular in the poorer areas of the country, listening to songs that were making success. This made the social networks move around him again.

KB: Interesting!

BC: With older people and the press, however, this relationship is more strained. Neymar doesn’t like to give interviews and, when he does, he rarely says anything that hasn’t been exhaustively practiced with his staff beforehand. His style, of always seeming to care little about football and more interested in things off the field, bothers some people. He was always the hope for the sixth championship. As it didn’t happen, this relationship became more difficult.

KB: It was recently reported that he’ll have to stand trial for alleged fraud. Can you elaborate on what that issue is? Is there a worry that it affects his mindset going into the World Cup?

BC: It is a very complicated matter that has been dragging on for years, ever since he left Santos to go to Barcelona. I don’t have a full knowledge to opine on the case itself, whether he is guilty or not. In relation to the impact of this in the dispute for the World Cup, I believe it is small. Neymar is a player who is very protected by his family, especially his father. The tendency is that he stays focused on the World Cup, which is his main goal, while his staff solves the off-field problems.

KB: There has been a lot of speculation surrounding the 30-year-old’s future. Has he

become less important to PSG?

BC: Since (Kylian) Mbappe’s (contract) renewal, that perception has become clearer. What the Brazilian press has gleaned about the case is that PSG has begun to see Neymar less as someone who is non-negotiable. They still want to keep him in the squad, but if a club wants to sign him, they will sit down and talk. This, I believe, is related to Neymar’s style, as already mentioned in the first answer. Since the beginning, he had a lot of friction with the PSG fans, he provoked them sometimes. On the other side, you have a Mbappe who is a fan of the club and refused Real Madrid to stay in Paris. This diminishes a bit the major star status that Neymar had.

KB: Is the criticism that Neymar isn’t fully focused on football fair?

BC: I don’t think it is fair, because there are no reports about delays or missing training sessions, for example. People who have played with Neymar always say that he is very dedicated and focused on his work. What I think happens is that people put above average expectations on him. They expect him to have a certain behaviour that has never been his style.

KB: We hear you.

BC: Neymar is not passionate about soccer, he likes to play soccer, but he has said several times that he will retire when he gets tired of doing it. He has a busy social life and enjoys it. And this has already caused some problems, like when, for example, he came back injured to Brazil to enjoy Carnaval. I don’t think he is a person who doesn’t focus on soccer while he is in his work environment. But for him, soccer is just that: a job. When he is not working, he uses the time to do other things.

KB: Thanks for your time, Brunno. BC: Cheers! ❐