The signing of Neymar by Paris Saint Germain, a turning point in Barcelona (Photo: Reuters)
It was in that European summer of 2018 when the Paris Saint Germain He used his economic might to kick the board of world football and sign one of the best players on the planet: Neymar He landed in the capital of France as an emerging figure and with the potential to take the throne that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo disputed every year. That transfer of € 222 million –The termination clause was paid– made the Brazilian striker the most expensive footballer of all time and shook the scene. Mainly that of a FC Barcelona who had to go to the market to find a replacement for the side of Messi, who months before had signed the contract renewal, the same one that today is news worldwide due to an unusual leak of the figures. Without knowing it, that game of Ney a new era began in Catalan territory.
They were two momentous events for the finances of an entity that failed to optimize that sidereal sale. “Barcelona have made a lot of shit since 2017. He paid and still pays for what I call the ‘Neymar Psychosis’, which occurred when the Brazilian left him and gave everyone a seizure; fans and board of directors. And he began to sign like crazy (…) it is clear that they have made investments that did not pay off ”, analyzed José María Gay de Liébana, doctor in Economic Sciences and head of the Faculty of Economics and Business at the University of Barcelona, in dialogue with Infobae.
What the specialist argues is that the investments of the culé institution did not have the expected result: Barça in the three subsequent seasons could barely add two Leagues, a Copa del Rey, a Spanish Super Cup and only once was among the semifinalists of the Champions League. He made many low-profit hires, some even ignoring the talent of The farmhouse and covering it with young players from abroad who have contributed little.
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Barcelona joined Dembélé in August 2017 (Photo: Reuters)
When Neymar left for Paris, the board of directors led by Josep María Bartomeu quickly went out to look for reinforcements and, in the face of the 2017/18 campaign, spent € 323.8 million in players: arrived Marlon santos (5 million), Nélson Semedo (30), Paulinho (40), Yerry Mina (11,8), Gerard Deulofeu (12) and two figures of great cost who are the only ones from that period that still remain in the team, Ousmane Dembele Y Philippe Coutinho, for those who spent a total of 105 and 120 million euros respectively. There were 12 casualties of which only Javier Mascherano Y Cristian Tello they left money, although less than 10 million.
Ni Coutinho ni Dembele have managed to fill the void left Ney when emigrating to the League 1, even the first was loaned to Bayern Munich last season and he had the luxury of being part of Hansi Flick’s sensational team that won the Bundesliga, German Cup and UEFA Champions League in a sweeping fashion. There is more: Coutinho he scored against Barça in the lapidary 2-8 in Lisbon.
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Coutinho showed his best level during the loan at Bayern Münich (Photo: Reuters)
Looking ahead to the 2018/19 season, the Blaugrana board decided to invest 41 million euros in Malcom, Bordeaux player, who only played 24 games for Barça – four goals and two assists – before being sold for a similar figure to Zenit Saint Petersburg. The other major investments in that market were Clement Lenglet, paid 35.9 million to Sevilla; Arturo vidal, who has already emigrated to Inter; and the brazilian Arthur who was emerging as the successor of Xavi but he left the team after being included in an operation with Juventus for Miralem Pjanić: the Brazilian emigrated to Italy in exchange for 72 million euros (plus 10 in variables) and the Bosnian arrived for 60 million (plus 5 in variables).
Some sales like those of Lucas Digne (€ 20.2 million), André Gomes (€ 25 million) and his own Mina (€ 30.25 million) to Everton FC, as well as those of Paco Alcacer (23 million to Borussia Dortmund) and Jasper Cillessen (35 million to Valencia CF), they gave some air in the midst of the enormous effort made by the Barça team to pay for the termination clause of 120 million euros from French Antoine Griezmann, a world champion footballer who is still trying to establish himself at the Camp Nou.
Griezmann was part of a transfer window in which they also arrived Frenkie de Jong (€ 75 million), grandson (26 million), Junior Firpo (18 million), Martin Braithwaite (18 million) and Emerson (12 million), players who have not managed to alleviate the problems of driving in the offices or adapt to the ideas in the short-lived cycle of Quique Setién, which led to the first year without at least one title since the 2007/08 season.
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Pedri is the new hope of Barcelona: he paid 5 million but with several objectives met the account has risen to 10 today (Photo: Reuters)
These are transition times for the Barcelona, where it is expected that the presidential elections will manage to put a cast on track that has been supported for years by the talent of a Lionel Messi that has no assured continuity. He gave notice of his intentions with the dispatch of the burofax last August and every time he speaks publicly, he seems to move away a little further, considering that he has the option of leaving as a free player in June. With the landing of Ronald Koeman, the outputs of players like Luis Suarez Y Rafinha, and the arrivals of young people like Pedri (It cost € 5 million, but the figure has already risen to 10 million as reported by the president of Las Palmas Miguel Ángel Rodríguez in the last hours) The Sergiño Dest (€ 21 million), it is clear that the purge of the squad is underway but the club’s finances are in the red.
Logically, your financial situation is not only reduced to the additions and losses of players. For example, salary bill currently represents 74% of the club’s income, which is unsustainable, especially with income so severely affected after the coronavirus pandemic. While bankruptcy is still avoidable, the club will urgently need to refinance its debt and drastically change its sports policies for the next four to five years.
Since Neymar chose to play for PSG, he Barcelona has spent more than € 700 million on 20 players (only eight are still on the team), including three signings of more than 100 million. Ni Dembélé, Coutinho and Griezmann They managed to be the couple that Leo Messi needed to guarantee trophies. The club still owes Ajax money (€ 48 million) for the pass De Jong and Liverpool (€ 35 million) for Coutinho, among other debts for hiring that have not yet taken off.
These days, according to the club’s own reports, the Barça has a net debt of close to € 820 million, with 720 million to be paid in the short term. To be more precise, the Catalan cast should pay almost 300 million to various banks and financial institutions before June 30. Everything indicates that you will negotiate these payment plans to avoid a catastrophe. And you will surely be more cautious the next time your coffers are filled with money from an astronomical sale like that of Neymar.
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The debate over Barcelona’s signings in recent years surfaced again after the leak of Messi’s contract (Photo: Reuters)
THE HIRING OF BARCELONA AFTER THE DEPARTURE OF NEYMAR
• Nélson Semedo (Benfica): 30.5 million euros *
• Paulinho (Guangzhou Evergrande): 40 million euros *
• Yerry Mina (Palmeiras): 11.8 million euros *
Gerard Deulofeu (Everton): 12 million euros
• Ousmane Dembélé (Borussia Dortmund): 105 million euros + variables *
• Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool): 120 million euros + variables
• Malcolm (Girondins of Bordeaux): 41 million euros *
• Clément Lenglet (Sevilla): 35.9 million euros *
• Arturo Vidal (Bayern Munich): 20 million euros
• Arthur Melo (Gremio): 31 million + variables *
• Antoine Griezmann (Atlético de Madrid): 120 million euros *
• Net (Valencia): 26 million euros + variables *
• Frenkie de Jong (Ajax): 75 million euros + variables *
• Junior Firpo (Betis): 18 million euros + variables *
• Martin Braithwaite (Leganés): 18 million euros *
• Emerson (Atlético Mineiro): 12 million euros *
• Pedri (Las Palmas): 5 million euros *
• Sergiño Dest (Ajax): 21 million euros + variables *
• Francisco Trincao (SC Braga): 31 million euros *
• Matheus Fernandes (Palmeiras): 7 million + variables *
* Official figures of the clubs
Messi generates more than he earns and did not “ruin” Barcelona: myths and truths of the club’s crisis, under the magnifying glass of Spanish economists