Neymar's arrival was the beginning of Barcelona's downfall

COMMENT
By Paul Macdonald:
It’s immensely difficult to plan,
create and execute the greatest
football team of the modern
era. It’s even more difficult to
destroy that vision in 12 months. But Barcelona have
somehow managed it, and the degeneration picked up
pace from the moment Neymar swaggered into Catalunya.
The Brazilian is not to blame for this disaster. He made a
concerted effort to adapt his game to an entirely new way
of playing, and had he not suffered injury problems his
narrative in this debacle may have been altogether more
satisfying. But he is the personification of Barcelona in the
role of the conformist. Adhering to the conventional, the
doctrine by which others abide.
No longer ‘Mes que un club’; now, any old club.
Even before considering what an unequivocal misadventure
the specifics of the transfer proved to be, at face value it
was an endeavour not to improve the team but appease
sponsors and fulfil the egos of certain high-ranking
officials. Neymar, through no fault of his own, became a
bystander in a narcissistic power play, as everything that
Barca stood for, arguably for the first time in a decade,
became a secondary consideration to revenue generation.
Money drives everything, of course it does. But Barca do it
differently, don’t they? It says so right there in the slogan.
Not so, not now.
The first warning sign was the uneasy partnership with
Qatar that meant a sponsor on the jersey for the first
time. From there the path from righteousness towards
self-aggrandising rhetoric moved all too swiftly. A club
that dealt with its issues with class and integrity fast
descended into a duplicitous organisation.
Neymar’s deal meant no centre-back was brought in -
another season where the glaringly obvious weak point of
the team was not addressed. Neymar is a marketing
superstar first, footballing superstar next, and it was too
easy for the club to strengthen brand synergy with Nike
rather than bring in a player who does uncivilised things
like tackle, header, and block. Things that Carles Puyol
used to do rather well.
It came in the midst of decisions made with dubious
ethics. Before his heartbreaking passing Tito Vilanova’s
initial illness was not particularly well-handled, nor was
the thrusting of Jordi Roura into a position he openly
admitted he did not desire, stating he was ‘just there to
do his job’. Eric Abidal’s send-off was ill-judged, given the
defensive situation, coupled with the fact he has
performed to a high standard with Monaco this season.
Victor Valdes, a player who breathes Barca, was suitably
disillusioned that he opted to leave.
The Camp Nou redevelopment project, spending €600m to
increase capacity and corporate seating at a time when
the stadium has been less than half full before Atletico
Madrid’s arrival on Saturday, may come across in a
practical sense as a means to an end in terms of future
revenues. But it’s hard to shake that, just like the
tickertape arrival of Neymar, it’s a vanity project for men
in suits to attach their legacy to.