Media hail transfer of the century
AFP
AFP, PARIS: Neymars imminent record-shattering move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain was hailed as the signing that changes the history of football by French and Spanish media on Thursday.
Papers in both cities went to town on the Brazilian strikers forecast 222 million euro ($260 million) transfer from the Catalan giants to PSG.
With Neymar expected in the French capital later Thursday Le Parisien devoted three-quarters of its front page to the man set to become the worlds most valuable player.
Under the headline Neymar to PSG - the transfer of the century was a photograph of the 25-year-old photo-shopped sporting a PSG jersey.
Neymar could be wearing the Parisian shirt from this week read the caption, with the paper devoting its first five pages to his expected arrival.
French sports daily LEquipe devoted their entire front page to a picture of Neymar behind the wheel of his car turning up to say goodbye to Lionel Messi and his Barcelona teammates on Wednesday morning, under the headline, Hes arriving.
In Spain, the coverage was sobre and reflective.
The signing that changes the history of football, wrote Marca, while for AS, with a nod to the extraordinary buy-out clause PSGs Qatari-owners are set to settle, Neymars transfer was a case of Pay and go.
La Vanguardia dwelt on what his departure meant for Bacelona Neymars escape obliges Barca to reinvent themselves.
In a dramatic 24 hours Neymar paid his farewell to Barca on Wednesday morning, before jumping on a private jet to Porto to reportedly undergo a medical before his expected arrival in the French capital on Thursday afternoon.
Neymar could be unveiled to fans on Saturday evening when PSG open their new Ligue 1 season against Amiens.
His transfer will more than double the current record set by Paul Pogbas 105.2 million euro ($111 million) move to Manchester United last year.
An away in Barcelona Some understood, others were enraged, but most supporters of Barcelona reacted with sadness Wednesday to news that star striker Neymar was leaving, in all likelihood to Paris Saint-Germain.
The Catalan club announced that the 25-year-old wanted to leave, insisting however that the Brazilians 222 million euro ($260 million) buyout clause must be paid -- an amount that would smash all transfer records.
Its a blow, said Javier Barranco, a 19-year-old psychology student in Barcelona.
It hurts because I thought he was going to grow here like (Lionel) Messi, that he was going to spend his entire career here and that he would be a Barca great for life.
The fact that money moved him more than anything else bothers me.
When Neymar arrived at Barcelona in the summer of 2013, fans hoped he would be the natural successor to Messi when the performance of the Argentinian five-time world player of the year, now 30, declined.
His dribbles and fast game soon seduced supporters at the Camp Nou stadium, where his shirt with the number 11 and name Neymar Jr were still on sale on Wednesday morning.
But by the afternoon, workers took down a promotional poster of the Barcelona players to replace it with an identical one... without the image of Neymar.
Theyre professional and its good that they look for the best for themselves and their family. Were talking about a lot of money, said Ramon Urgell, a 63-year-old economist.
Then there are emotions, and I would like him to stay.
Paris Saint-Germain will reportedly triple Neymars salary to 30 million euros net a season. But another justification for him to jump ship could be a desire to move out of Messis shadow. Still, not all supporters showed the same level of understanding.
For Jesus Reinal, a bus driver, Neymar is another turncoat, like Figo, the Portuguese player who abandoned Barcelona in 2000 to go to its arch-rival Real Madrid, for a then record 61 million euros. But after weeks of speculation and uncertainty, many are just glad that the drama has finally come to a close.
