Neil Ashton: Neymar presentation by Paris Saint-Germain was a great moment for the Brazilian’s brand
Nobody could take away from the world's most expensive player as he was shown off to the world
Sponsored by
WHAT a day for Neymar Inc.
In the time it takes to drop £198million, Paris Saint-Germain were trumpeting their superstar signing as the world’s best footballer.
Better than Lionel Messi and better than Cristiano Ronaldo, according to PSG’s punchy president Nasser Al-Khelaifi.
This was a very, very good hour to be Neymar Jnr.
Neymar’s family had front row seats. Neymar’s friends were flown in from Brazil. Neymar’s “staff”, as Al-Khelaifi called them, made sure he looked the part.
Even PSG’s beefed-up security team were wearing their very best suits to welcome the 25-year-old forward to his new Parc des Princes home.
This was PSG’s show and nobody, certainly not a few piffling questions on Financial Fair Play, or the buy-out clause in Neymar’s £500,000-a-week after-tax contract, was going to spoil it.
“Go grab a coffee and chill out,” was Al-Khelaifi’s prickly response to a question about the numbers that will never quite add up in this mind-blowing deal.
Most read in football
He continued: “I don’t know why people keep talking about the transfer fee because we have people working day and night with Uefa to make sure that everything is legal.”
In many ways he is right because the Qatari’s buying Neymar for £198m is the same as me or you buying a latte from Starbucks.
It is loose change to them, that is all.
Still, money cannot buy class. But it can buy Neymar.
He is a PSG player now, choosing his words carefully enough to avoid saying they were the club he always wanted to play for after leaving Barcelona.
PSG wanted to show him off to the world, to parade the poster boy in front of the world’s media with a few keepie-uppies wearing the branded Fly Emirates shirt.
Outside, the official PSG shop was doing a brisk trade, with maybe 90 to 100 tourists snaking through the turnstiles to get their hands on a prized shirt.
The Parisians, bless them, still seem more in thrall with the fashion houses on the Champs-Elysees than a top with ‘Neymar 10’ splashed on the back.
Still, he is here now and determined to make an impression.
To be fair to the kid, he also made a very, very good one after Al-Khelaifi’s fawning, toe-curling, introduction.
It is not easy to explain the reasons behind Neymar’s decision to leave Spanish superclub Barca for a club that was formed as recently as 1970.
“There were clubs who offered him more money,” was Al- Khelaifi’s reply to questions about the finances. Instead, Neymar followed his heart. He wanted a project.
He wanted to show ambition. He wanted to be loved. He wanted to play for PSG.
He is one sentence short of sounding like Robbie Keane.
Neymar said: “I think a player should be free to leave a club if he wants to leave.
“I spent four years at Barcelona and I made some very good friends — but I wanted to change. I wanted a new challenge.
“Paris Saint-Germain is a project. They want to win the Champions League, but also win all the trophies they compete for.”
Even though this deal has been in the works for weeks, it was just about believable that Neymar wrestled with the decision to leave Barcelona behind.
Who wouldn’t?
He had all the trappings at the Nou Camp, with the history, the prestige and the honour of playing for the Catalans making them a big draw for the top players.
When he spoke warmly about leaving Leo Messi, the player he modelled himself on when he was a kid at Santos, it seemed genuine.
If it is not, it would be a sad day for the sport.
Those two have shared so many memories, with Neymar admitting that he was nervous when he trained with Argentine legend Messi for the first time way back in 2013. Four years on and PSG do not even consider the great Messi to be his equal.
They claimed, in their misguided, monied world, that the more you pay for a player, the better he becomes.
Neymar certainly belongs in the special talent category, but he is five world player of the year awards behind Messi and four behind Ronnie.
He is PSG’s talisman now — the player the Qatar moneymen believe will lead them to Champions League glory before long.
If he can, imagine what kind of day it will be for Neymar Inc.
Tweet @neilashton_