Paris Saint Germain Set to Sell Neymar as his Productivity Declines

Superstar Brazilian soccer player Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior has been on a steep decline in productivity over the last couple of years as the French club Paris Saint Germain look to sell him this summer at a massive financial loss.

Reports by The US Sun have stated that the team is looking to sell the forward this summer for €76 million, which is €122 million less than the €198 million price tag they bought him for in 2017.

This comes as no surprise, as his productivity has steadily declined since they first bought him. The following two line charts show this decline over the last five years in both the French domestic league Ligue 1 and the European UEFA Champions League competition.

The first line chart shows Neymar’s stats in Ligue 1. He has gone from 19 goals and 13 assists in 20 games in Ligue 1 in the 2017/18 season to 12 goals and 6 assists in 21 games in the latest season (with only one game remaining). The second chart shows his stats in the UEFA Champions League. He has also shown a large decline in this competition with 6 goals and 3 assists in 7 games in 2017/18 to 0 goals and 2 assists in 6 games in the last season.

PSG were consequently eliminated in the round of 16 of the Champions League by Real Madrid. This has led to a lot of backlash from PSG fans who have subsequently booed Neymar in Ligue 1 games following the Champions League elimination.

So, where could Neymar eventually end up? The 30 year old has signalled his intent in prior interviews about his willingness to eventually go to the MLS. He has specifically shown interest in going to David Beckham’s new MLS team Inter Miami CF.

Most players like to end their careers in the MLS whereas Neymar is relatively young at 30 years of age. So, what has been the cause of this decline? Critics have criticized Neymar’s tendency to party a lot. Others have noted that he has become blasé, as he has achieved almost everything in his illustrious career and has amassed a fortune.

One indication of this is evidenced in an interview he gave who’s statements were broadcast by ESPN saying that he: “…would love to play in the US…The main reason for me to play in the MLS is that the season is short, so it would give me three months of vacation.”

Nonetheless, other European teams will most likely be interested in him especially at the asking price tag. Another option would be his return to the Brazilian domestic league where he began his career.

Sources

ESPN FC. (2022, February 22). “Would Neymar help or hurt Major League Soccer’s reputation? | Futbol Americas.” Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ST8x37JsmtY&t=6s

Laurens, J. (2021, November 2). “What's happened to Neymar? PSG No. 10 is in worst form since joining Ligue 1 giants.” ESPN. https://www.espn.com/soccer/paris-saint-germain--frapsg/story/4511447/whats-happened-to-neymar-psg-no-10-is-in-worst-form-since-joining-ligue-1-giants

Mbu, J. (2021, October 30). “NEY SENSE ‘I will not stop partying’ - Neymar defends glamorous lifestyle after criticism over physique and attitude.” The Sun. https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/16581678/neymar-psg-defends-partying-lifestyle/

O’Brien, J. (2022, May 7). “Neymar responds to being booed by PSG fans after latest brutal snub.” The Daily Mirror. https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/neymar-psg-fans-boos-response-26901472

Pisa, G. (2022, April 27). “NEY BOTHER PSG ‘set to AXE Neymar for €76m - €122m loss on world-record transfer - in summer to fun massive squad overhaul.’” The US Sun. https://www.the-sun.com/sport/5215978/psg-sell-neymar-76m-transfer/

Transfermarkt (n.d). “Stats of Neymar.” https://www.transfermarkt.us/neymar/leistungsdaten/spieler/68290/plus/0?saison=2021