Where were you when Neymar left Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain for 200 million pounds?
I was at work, on my break, scrolling through my newsfeed, sweeping through the usual menagerie of sports, video games, politics, and stupid people doing, well... stupid things for likes, comments, and shares.
That was until I came upon a Bleacher Report post announcing that Paris Saint-Germain, the French top-flight juggernauts who had almost been left in the dust by 2017 champions AS Monaco, had triggered Neymar's 200 million pound ($263 million USD) release clause with Barcelona. My initial reaction was shock. For at least two weeks prior, the news had featured at least one Neymar related story, from his bust-up at training with a teammate to La Liga blocking the move initially over concerns of financial fair play. No one thought it possible that such a move would even happen. The shock quickly subsided, however, and I came to the realization that there was nothing shocking about it all.
In current soccer terms, the signing was a coup. No one, not even Barcelona or their arch-rivals Real Madrid, who are both notorious for splashing the cash to get whoever they want... not even they would've considered triggering such a clause with that kind of price tag. Now you're probably thinking, "But you just said teams have been 'splashing the cash' to sign any player they wanted!" Yes, you're correct. But what the Neymar signing has shown is not simply a measure of intent by PSG to regain the Ligue 1 crown, but a sign of the times, and where soccer has been going for over the last five years, and will continue to go.
The modern game is awash with money. From the purchase of Chelsea FC by Roman Abramovich in June 2003 to now, it has witnessed an increase in everything from wages, ticket prices, sponsorship deals, and transfer fees. Ask any player, manager, or journalist ten, fifteen years ago if a player would be signed for more then 50 million pounds, they probably would've laughed before waxing eloquently about how such a price tag would be out of reach by even the richest clubs in Europe. At that time the closest transfer too the 50 million pound tag was Zinedine Zidane's 46.6 million pound move to Real Madrid from Juventus in 2001, making the French legend the most expensive player on the planet.
That transfer is now the 9th richest.
Now fast forward to 2017. The current record holder is Paul Pogba, who returned to my beloved Manchester United from Juventus for nearly 90 million pounds, joining the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale as the only three players (at the time) to have been signed for 80 million+ pounds. Everyone was curious, who would break the 100 million pound barrier?
Then PSG triggered Neymar's release clause.
Now I could go on and on about Neymar motivations for making the move (an almost 500,000 pounds-per-week isn't a bad reason I'd say), or how much pressure this heaps on his shoulders, but I want to see what his move means for the whole game. Before the deal was struck the game had seen a gradual rise in transfer fees, but that was it; gradual. Now its been blown wide open, showing that anything is possible, just need to be willing to spend. This is why I consider the signing to be the beginning of an arms race between the juggernauts of Europe, especially those who aren't already afraid to throw in a few extra bucks here and there (cough cough Real Madrid cough cough). One year ago it seemed Neymar was untouchable with that gargantuan 200 million pound release clause, but that myth has been resoundingly shattered. Clubs now have to think more creatively when trying to keep their key assets, while on the flip side all they need to trigger any release clause is to have a blank cheque or a war chest bursting at the seems. Much like the nations of Europe stocked up on weapons, ships, and airplanes before the First World War, Europe's biggest soccer clubs might start flexing their financial muscle and stock up on as many of the best players they can before they face off against one another in the Champions League.
From an entertainment perspective, and from the perspective of the supporters of the big European giants and neutral spectators looking for great matches to witness this would be an exciting prospect, the best in the world squaring up to one another on club soccer's biggest stage, the Champions League. For the younger viewers like myself it would be FIFA Ultimate Team in real life. But this could be bad news for smaller sides trying to spend some time in the sun with the big boys. It will also bring UEFA's Financial Fair Play under great duress, as the pressure to allow such big money moves will only continue to grow, Neymar's move to PSG being the shining example at this very moment. I wouldn't be surprised if we see the 300 million pound mark surpassed in the next five years.
Now I could be bloviating an irrational sporting fear that may never come to fruition in my lifetime, but as a soccer fan, I want this beautiful game to remain competitive while it still can. If Neymar's move to Paris does in fact turn soccer into an arm's race, remember this opinion piece when it happens.
Adam, August 2017