While records are meant to be broken in sports, the most expensive footballer benchmark has stood for eight years and counting. When Paris Saint-Germain acquired Neymar from FC Barcelona for $262 million in 2017, this record was falling every 2-4 years, with Paul Pogba eclipsing Gareth Bale in 2013, which surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009.
And given how transfer spending has exploded since then (that Pogba deal from nine years ago is already down to 11th, Bale 14th and Ronaldo 15th on the current all-time chart), it was expected that the Neymar deal would get surpassed, at least twice, by now.
In fact, Neymar appears on the list again, at 20th place, for the money Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal paid to acquire him in 2023. Neymar is on the move again, this time back to the club where he first made a name for himself- Santos.
Reports are circulating that the Brazilian superstar will join Santos on loan for the remainder of the season. The deal isn’t finalized yet, but some places have suspended betting on where Neymar might go. Of course, you can still bet on other players’ moves this January transfer window, at places like Freshbet casino. You still have 2 days left to wager on transfers, until the window closes. The best football tipsters are also taking action on whether or not Marcus Rashford leaves Manchester United. The front-runner to acquire Rashford just happens to be Neymar’s former team, FC Barcelona.
Neymar has also been strongly linked to Chicago Fire FC, as well as two other unnamed Major League Soccer clubs. And while his move to Santos isn’t official yet, it seems all but certain that he won’t be coming to Chicago. One thing we know for sure: Al-Hilal did not register him for the second half of the season.
His disappointing, injury-riddled time on the Arabian peninsula is done. After the loan deal is over, they will find a permanent buyer for him.
Neymar, 32, only scored once and featured just seven times with Al-Hilal. He’s not washed yet, but he can’t stay healthy either. Given the expensive price tag, he would not have been worth it for the Fire.
Neymar would sell some tickets, and some shirts and scarves as well, but he really wouldn’t win them many games.
A splash signing gets you some instant publicity, and that attention lingers for awhile, but it doesn’t do nowhere near as much for you as consistently winning trophies does.
Past Chicago Fire FC Splash Signings
Chicago has decisively gone 1-for-2 in big name, big money signings over the past decade or so.
Let’s take a look at their big hit, and their huge whiff.
Bastian Schweinsteiger, 2017
The most acclaimed and accomplished player in world football history to ever come to the club, this was a home run signing. Schweini has cruelly and unfairly ostracized by Jose Mourinho at Manchester United, but he was king of kings in Chicago.
This was the final stop of his career, and although he was consistently quality, the German midfielder only enjoyed one winning season.
In 2017, Chicago Fire FC hosted the MLS All-Star Game, and four of their players were selected: Schweinsteiger, Johan Kappelhoff and Dax McCarty. The team started to sizzle in May, and then rode that positive momentum to the playoffs.
Unfortunately, New York dispatched them from the postseason rather quickly, and the club hasn’t been back since. Schweinsteiger retired a couple years later, and the Fire really haven’t done anything at all of note since.
In Joe Mansueto, you have an owner who cares as much about the club as the most die-hard supporter, maybe even more. His dedication and spirit makes him/the club easy to root for, but they just can’t figure it out.
Even in a league where you have a greater than 50% chance of making the playoffs every year.
Xherdan Shaqiri, 2022
Shaq, the most expensive player in club history, has played in the world’s biggest tournaments and won the most major of team trophies. The Swiss international regards himself as a Liverpool man first and foremost (like Neymar will always be a Barca guy), although he has played for some other prestige clubs.
Shaqiri was injury-riddled and unproductive in Chicago; he just never provided a lot of goal involvements, and the team went absolutely nowhere.
All the while he was still banging in the goals for Switzerland, further cementing his reputation as a player who is consistently much better for country than he is for club.
Speaking of clubs, he’s now back at FC Basel, the place where he came of age. It’s also a club where the Fire have had a lot of recent connections.
So it’s a move that kind of mirrors the one that Neymar seems poised to make, in terms of the homecoming angle.
Up Next
The Fire are currently in Florida for the first leg of preseason camp. Their preseason continues with a match against Sporting Kansas City on Saturday in a behind closed-doors match.
They’ll also take part in the Coachella Valley Invitational against LAFC at 3:30 p.m. CT on Wednesday, Feb. 5.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.