Luis Suarez has disclosed that both he and Lionel Messi cautioned Neymar against a world-record transfer from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017.
Neymar, who had spent four years at Barcelona and was part of the 2015 treble-winning team in the Champions League, chose to depart when PSG activated the €222m (£199m) buyout clause in his contract. The decision rested solely with the player as the clause prevented Barcelona from negotiating.
Apart from a lucrative contract, nearly doubling his wages at Barca, Neymar also had the opportunity to step out of Messi's shadow by moving to Paris and becoming the primary superstar at the club. However, by 2019, widespread reports suggested that he was eager to return to Camp Nou.
"We were very good friends, and we knew if we fulfilled our roles on the pitch, we would make Barcelona great," Suarez recalled in an interview with Clank!
"If one of us did not play well, the other two would make the difference. It was a spectacular relationship. We told him it was a mistake to go to PSG. If Ney wanted to be the best, he had to stay by Leo’s side. But, he made his decision, and it left a void in the team."
Despite dominating French domestic football, Neymar's PSG repeatedly fell short of their primary goal of winning the Champions League. Over Neymar's six seasons in Paris, which saw one final appearance, one semi-final exit, and four eliminations in the last 16, the return on the club's considerable investment was underwhelming.
Neymar's injury record hindered his time on the pitch, averaging fewer than 30 games per season across all competitions. In total, he made 173 appearances while a fully fit player might have played well over 300 games in the same period.
At 31, he's now in the Saudi Pro League with Al Hilal but is unlikely to play until potentially the 2024/25 season due to an ACL injury sustained in October.
Regarding Barca, they clinched La Liga and the Copa del Rey in the season following Neymar's departure, with Messi and Suarez netting a combined total of 76 goals. However, they haven't added another Champions League trophy to their cabinet or reached a final since 2015.
Neymar's exit and the influx of money sparked extravagant spending that severely harmed the club in the subsequent seasons. Transfer fees alone amounted to around €400m for signings like Ousmane Dembele, Philippe Coutinho, and Antoine Griezmann between 2017 and 2019. By 2021, Barca had overspent to the point where they couldn't honour a new contract agreed upon with Messi, resulting in his move to PSG.
