Top 5 controversial transfers of the decade

Modified Dec 07, 2019 13:04 GMT

1. Neymar Jr: Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain

Real Madrid v Paris Saint-Germain: Group A - UEFA Champions League

Neymar Jr made a sensational switch from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain for an astonishing fee of €222 million in 2017. The Brazilian, on a quest to become the best player in the world, traded the Spanish giants for the French Champions.

The Parisians wanted to negotiate the price for the starlet but Barca cut them no slack. Fed up of the talks, PSG decided to end all negotiations and trigger Neymar's release clause. Barcelona tried everything in their power to convince the player; be it luring in his national teammate Philippe Coutinho or asking Barca players to alter his mind but Neymar just would not budge.

The offer from PSG was quite lucrative as he was offered to become one of the highest-paid players. Moreover, he was assured that the whole team would be built around him.

Despite claims made by senior Barca members including Gerard Pique that the Brazilian would be staying, he left to fulfil his dreams and PSG were successful in their quest. The French champions showed their might off the field as they pulled off one of the craziest transfers of all time.

About the author

Samyak is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda, who focuses on writing a variety of listicles. A post-graduate in Finance with over 6 years of total work experience, Samyak became interested in football after watching the 2010 FIFA World Cup and some high-octane El Clasico clashes. His favorite footballer is Cristiano Ronaldo for the forward's mentality, and his favorite managers are Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, and Pep Guardiola for the brand of football their teams showcase.

Samyak only follows top tier and verified fan club social media accounts for sourcing information for his articles. One of his core strengths is crafting crisp and concise articles to avoid any and all potential confusion for readers. These shrewd methods have helped him attain strong readership on his articles, one of them even being read half a million times!

Zinedine Zidane's Panenka penalty in the 2006 final is Samyak’s favorite World Cup moment owing to the Frenchman’s sheer nerves of steel showcased, and thinks Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland are ready to usher in a new era post-Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. During his free time, Samyak follows Real Madrid, plays football and reads finance articles.

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Edited by Sai Teja