PARIS: After much drama, Paris Saint-Germain completed Neymar's world record move from La Liga giants Barcelona on Thursday when the Qatar-owned French Lique 1 club confirmed the Brazilian superstar had signed a five year-deal, earning him an estimated €30 million a year after tax.
Neymar da Silva Santos Junior now the world's most expensive player.
"Paris Saint-Germain is very happy to announce the arrival of Neymar Jr to the team. On Thursday the Brazilian striker signed a five-year contract in the presence of the club’s representatives. Neymar Jr is now committed to the French capital’s club until June 30 2022," the club announced.
FC Barcelona too confirmed the deal was done, putting out this official statement: "On Thursday afternoon Neymar Jr's legal representatives visited in person the club's offices and made the payment of €222 million ($260 million) in the player's name with regards to the unilateral termination of the contract that united both parties.
"As such, the club will pass on to UEFA the details of the above operation so that they can determine the disciplinary responsibilities that may arise from this case."
French League, La Liga spar over Neymar move
The final confirmations came at the end of a day that was full of high drama with Spain's La Liga initially refusing to accept the payment of Neymar's €222 million buyout clause.
In its riposte, the French league (LFP) said in a statement: "The LFP is surprised and does not understand the refusal of La Liga to simply accept the payment of the release clause of the player Neymar.
"The LFP asks the Liga to abide by the FIFA rules and its responsibilities.
"The LFP supports Paris Saint-Germain and wishes Neymar to join the Ligue 1 championship.
"The legal services of the LFP are in support and at the disposal of Paris Saint-Germain so that the Neymar contract is approved as soon as possible."
La Liga president Javier Tebas has been an outspoken critic of PSG's move to snatch one of the Spanish league's biggest stars. Tebas believes the astronomical sum being spent by the French giants makes it impossible for them to comply with UEFA's financial fair play regulations (FFP), terming it "financial doping".
"We will not accept this money from a club like PSG," Tebas told Madrid sports daily AS on Wednesday. "Especially when this club is infringing rules and laws."
"The clubs/state that compete with financial doping can destabilise professional football in Europe, the international market and competitions," added Tebas.
The role played by PSG's owners Oryx Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) has been looked upon skeptically in Spain with the El Mundonewspaper describing the move as a "state signing."
UEFA, on its part, made it clear that it would not be interfereing. In a statement, the governing body of football in Europe told the BBC: "We are not in a position to stop clubs from buying players, but the clubs will face sanctions if they fail to abide by Financial Fair Play rules."
UEFA introduced break-even FFP rules in 2013 to stop clubs accumulating too much debt and to prevent wealthy owners from injecting too much cash into their clubs.
The rules state that over a three-year period a club like PSG can spend €30 million more than it earns.
PSG have already been fined and saw their Champions League squad limited by UEFA for breaches of FFP in 2014.
As for the man at the centre of it all, arriving from Barca, the former Santos player is widely considered to be one of the top three players on the planet who has played at the very highest level for the past five years.
At 25 years old, he has already been selected for the Brazilian national team 77 times, scoring 52 goals. As captain of the national team, Neymar da Silva Santos Junior has emerged as the leader of a team aiming to win its sixth World Cup in 2018. Wearing the Brazil jersey, Neymar Jr has already carried his country to its first Olympic title at the Rio Games in 2016.
Enjoying immense popularity across the world, Neymar has already achieved 15 titles at club level. His arrival into the Paris Saint-Germain family emphasizes more than ever the club’s aims to rise to the top of world football.
After signing the contract papers, Neymar promised to bring titles to Paris: "I am extremely happy to join Paris Saint-Germain. Since I arrived in Europe, the club has always been one of the most competitive and most ambitious. And the biggest challenge, what most motivated me to join my new teammates is to help the club to conquer the titles that their fans want. Paris Saint-Germain’s ambition attracted me to the club, along with the passion and the energy this brings. I played 4 seasons in Europe and I feel ready to take the challenge. From today, I will do everything I can to help my new teamates, to open up new horizons for my club and to bring happiness to its millions of supporters around the world."
“It is with immense joy and pride that we welcome Neymar Jr to Paris Saint-Germain, said Nasser Al-Khelaifi, president of Paris Saint-Germain. Neymar Jr is today one of the very best players in world football. His winning mentality, strength of character and sense of leadership have made him into a great player. He will bring a very positive energy to this club. In six years, we have built a very ambitious project that has already taken us to the highest level of national and European football. Today, with the arrival of Neymar Jr, I am convinced that we will come even closer, with the support of our faithful fans, to realizing our greatest dreams.”
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