5 reasons why Neymar's €222m transfer from Barcelona to PSG could really happen

Neymar PSG transfer 222m Barcelona release clause
Has Neymar played his last game in a Barcelona shirt?

2) Get out from under Lionel Messi's shadow

Neymar Messi Barcelona
Neymar will always play second fiddle to Messi at Barcelona

Neymar and Lionel Messi are on friendly terms, there is no denying that. There is no enmity between them and, since the arrival of Luis Suarez, the trio have formed a close bond that saw the club win a treble in 2014/15. MSN have also dragged the club to the finish line in the last couple of years as the rest of the squad struggled.

But Neymar knows that at the Camp Nou, he will never be the main man as long as Messi is in the side. The Argentine forward is the club's talisman and top dog.

As much as Neymar has been deemed the heir to his throne, he will only be the crown prince - at least for another five years or so depending on how long Messi can prolong his career. He just turned 30 after all.

When Neymar arrived in Europe, he was still a bit raw despite his well-publicised exploits in Brazil. But over time, he has developed into a world beater and is arguably the third-best player in the world behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi.

He finished third in the 2015 Ballon d'Or race but looked like a lucky fan who got to share the stage with Ronaldo and Messi instead of being considered a serious contender (he won less than 8% of the votes that year).

Being the star attraction at PSG would help his cause a great deal.

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