Barcelona sign Neymar and have more work to do now
Months went by wof negotiations and speculation. But Barcelona announced their first signing of the summer on Friday morning. To be honest, it was in fact Neymar who announced his contract renewal. Interestingly, it was apparently the best signing Barca will furnish this season.
Barcelona sign Neymar and have more work to do now
It was an act that demonstrated the extent to which player power has eclipsed clubs position. Neymar jumped the gun himself and revealed the news with a post on social media. It was just as Zlatan Ibrahimovic had announced his move to Manchester United only four hours earlier.
The Brazilian did not explicitly state he had renewed his contract. The message simply read “Very happy to continue living this dream. Long live Barca and long live Catalonia.” But by the time Barca had put together their own statement confirming the details (a five-year-deal until June 30, 2021 with a fresh buy-out clause starting at €200 million and rising to €250 million two years later), it was rather old news.
The club have added to the feeling that extending Neymar’s contract is like signing a new player. They announced that he will officially put pen to paper on July 15 in a special ceremony at the Camp Nou. It will take place before heading back to Brazil to be ready for the Olympic Games.
With Neymar’s status as a global star, it is no surprise his renewal has amassed such fanfare. But the celebratory nature of what used to be a rather mundane event, a player remaining at the club he is already at and where he already possesses a contract, tells us a lot about the direction football keeps going.
