Barcelona evaded taxes, fought off clubs, hid funds, changed presidents and sat out two transfer windows in order to sign Neymar. They salted the earth for future Santos negotiations, purchased illicit favors for his father and broke international law just for Neymar.
In the Rosell/Bartomeu administration, the club built itself under Qatar Airways/Qatar Foundation, and the board's crown jewel was Neymar. Bartomeu and Rosell abandoned Unicef for crooked Qatari organizations, only for Qatari money to lure Neymar away to PSG 4 years later.
Neymar Sr came from a favela. Neymar's parents couldn't afford an ultrasound and often couldn't pay the electricity bill for the month. Neymar Sr worked three jobs simultaneously, and assured his son worked hard in football and never lost focus. Neymar Sr is seen as a villain and a criminal from Barcelona's lense, but from another perspective, he is the epitome of the American Dream. He worked hard to make sure his son didn't have the same childhood he had. He worked to make sure Neymar didn't have the career he had. Neymar was the next Robinho by 11, gaining YouTube attention from across the world. Time Magazine called him "The Next Péle" at 21. Of course Neymar and his father chose the money and the tax scandal-free lifestyle in Paris. That's a product of the environment. There's a million kids in Brazil who could one day become "the Next Péle." Neymar became that one in a million kid, and will reap rewards. Neymar must avoid falling into the same traps Ronaldinho, Adriano, Robinho & so many more before him fell into. Stay humble and self-aware.
Neither Neymar nor his father fell off the trail.
No, the one who forgot their morals and threw away the blueprint, is FC Barcelona.
For too long, has this Barcelona board ignored promising La Masia talent, chosen poor managers, and wasted money on lost causes. Barcelona broke the law for 4 seasons of Neymar gradually finding his feet in Europe. Now, he'll spend the prime of his career in PSG. The board's crown jewel has left for money, and an insurmountable gap has grown between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. Back to zero. Barça have 25 days to spend 220m, with other clubs guarding their stars and knowing they can overcharge Barcelona. PSG are smart. They know their intentions, they'd rather pay 70m in taxes--because it's the law--than include Marco Verratti in the deal.
Barcelona thought they could pillow-talk their way into signing Verratti.
Like an abrupt WWE plot twist, PSG flipped the script on them.
PSG triggered Neymar's clause, offered him a too-good-to-be-true salary, and sent Barça's summer into smithereens. Now, Barcelona are so focused on tattling on PSG and spending the Neymar money that they might ignore Valverde's transfer desires.
The Great Gatsby, the foremost piece of literature on the American Dream, starts with a life lesson. "Whenever you feel like criticizing any one, just remember that all the people in his world haven't had the advantages that you've had."
