Still considered the best player in the game despite battling multiple injuries throughout the 2012-2013 soccer season, Barcelona star Lionel Messi has been involved in talks that say the 26-year-old international superstar could be on his way out of Camp Nou.
Barcelona fell in the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League by way of a 7-0 aggregate loss to eventual champions Bayern Munich. With their star player rendered useless due to a nagging hamstring injury sustained in April, Barcelona suffered one of the worst collective defeats in their long and successful history. Clearly looking to revamp the club and provide their prominent goal-scorer with added support, Barca went into the offseason with one player in mind.
That player was rising superstar Neymar. A four-year member of Santos from 2009 through 2013, the 21-year-old native of Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil signed on with the Spanish club in early June, providing Barcelona with the additional offensive weapon they so heavily desired following the aforementioned Champions League defeat. Signing Neymar to a 5-year deal ended a competition between Barca and rival Real Madrid for the services of the young talent. Fulfilling what he referred to as his dream scenario, Neymar indicated that his goal is to win and help keep Lionel Messi the best player in the world.
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"I am very happy, very moved to be a Barcelona player and fulfill my dream," Neymar said after signing with his newest club. "I want to help the team. I have come to add my part so that Lionel Messi continues to be the best player in the world."
Notching 54 goals in 103 appearances with Santos over the four-year period, Neymar will bring obvious youth to the talented club while providing the squad with tremendous ability on both sides of the field through his incredible speed and natural scoring ability. The pairing of Neymar and Messi, however, has a former Barcelona legend scratching his head since he doesn't feel 2 superstars should be paired together on one club, even citing that the best option for Barca may be to ship Lionel Messi away from Camp Nou.
"With Neymar on board, I would have planned for the possibility of selling Messi, and some would agree with that, others not," former Barcelona forward Johan Cruyff told Marca News. "You are talking about a team, its players and the things around it. There are too many things at stake. That's why it's so difficult to manage such a top class squad. "
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Asked if he would have brought Neymar to Barcelona, Cruyff didn't hesitate to shoot down the decision noting that both players possess the ability to do the same things on the field and the fact that the superstars are signed by rival endorsement companies could become a distraction.
"No, I wouldn't have signed Neymar," he said. We'll have to wait and see. It could turn out well or badly. It's a risk. It's like the free kicks. Neymar is very good at taking them, and Messi has already shown he is. Who's going to take them? Or the fact that Neymar and Barcelona are with Nike while Leo is with Adidas. These are situations that could cause problems. We'll have to wait and see. He is talented but we'll have to see how he gets on with everyone, that's a problem."
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Many Barcelona fans and soccer enthusiasts in general were anxious to see how Neymar would perform on the international stage shortly after signing with his newest club. A member of the Brazilian national team, the 21-year-old has been electric since the start of the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, notching 3 goals in three games while guiding Brazil to the tournament semifinals. Playing with a tremendous level of speed, enthusiasm and confidence, Neymar is certainly stamping his place at the top of the soccer world.
Despite what Johan Cruyff may think, Barcelona fans have to be excited about seeing Neymar and club-favorite Lionel Messi on the pitch together for years to come. Most fans certainly will not want to see Barcelona part ways with a player who has been with the club since 2004 and scored a total of 215 goals in 246 matches.
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