MADRID — Barcelona announced Sunday morning that after a transfer saga lasting some 18 months it has finally landed Brazilian international Neymar from Santos on a five-year deal that is expected to cost the Catalan club around 50 million euros ($65m). The 21-year-old was always expected to come to Barca when he eventually left his homeland, but rather than wait till his contract expired with the Brazilian club next year, the Spanish champion has sped up the operation as it tries to rejuvenate a tired squad. “On Monday I'm signing a contract with Barcelona,” Neymar said on his Instagram page and Twitter account. “My family and friends already know about my decision ... I want to thank Santos' fans for these nine incredible years. My feelings for the club and the fans will never change,” Neymar added. “Titles, goals, dribbles, celebrations and the songs the fans created for me will always be in my heart. “This is a different moment for me, sad (departure) and happy (new challenge). God bless me in my choices. “I made a point of playing the match in Brasilia. I want the opportunity to enter the pitch once more with the ‘mantle' (Santos shirt) and hear the fans shout my name.” Santos were to play Flamengo at the capital's completely refurbished World Cup stadium in their opening match of the Brazilian championship Sunday. Even at his tender age, Neymar has already shown glimpses of his brilliance on the big stage with 20 goals in 32 international appearances, whilst his incredible return of 156 goals in 256 games for Santos at such a young age has seem him inevitably compared to Pele. However, it is the potential to combine with another of the all-time greats that Barca is interested in as it looks for someone to ease the goalscoring and creative burden on Lionel Messi. Barca's reliance on Messi was particularly exposed in this season's Champions League when the Argentine was called into action whilst clearly carrying a hamstring injury to get it across the line against Paris Saint-Germain in the quarterfinals. Messi ended up playing only 75 minutes of the 180 in that tie. The period he was on the pitch Barca won 2-0, the time he was on the sidelines it lost 3-1. Worse was to come for the Catalans, though, in the humiliation at the hands of Bayern. Again a hobbling Messi was forced into action in the first-leg as the Germans romped to a 4-0 victory, and with the four-time World Player of the Year consigned to the bench for the return, a Barca side devoid of creation and belief was again picked off 3-0. In the two years Barca has won the Champions League in Messi's stellar era, he has had significant support in the goalscoring charts. In 2008-09 Samuel Eto'o and Thierry Henry combined for 62 goals to Messi's 38. And in 2010-11, Pedro and David Villa contributed 55 to the Argentine's 53. Over the past two season Messi has reached the barely fathomable figure of 123 goals, whilst Cesc Fabregas comes closest with just 28. Questions still remain over how Neymar will adapt to the European game. His effectiveness has been tempered in big Copa Libertadores and international fixtures when forced to play in reduced spaces, something which Barca is faced with on a weekly basis as it has to weave itself through the parked bus in front of the opposition's goal. And there are also concerns over the Brazilian's reliance on drawing soft free-kicks that tend to be given in the striker's favor in his homeland. However, unlike some other big money Barca signings in recent seasons such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Fabregas, Neymar fits into the current Barca style and formation. His ability to cut in from the left side will not only pose a goal threat and allow him to combine with Messi, but also allow the ever adventurous Jordi Alba to surge forward on the overlap. — Agencies
