Rex wrote:

I love this deal. Only because I fucking haaaaaaaate Barcelona though.

Me too.

jones wrote:

goon wrote:

That's fucking insane.

Maybe this transfer does have something good to it. Couple of people I talked to about it after it dawned on them what his weekly wages are (1 Euro per second, more than half a million a week etc all after tax) realised that it really should not be okay for anyone to "earn" that much money

Why do people only get outraged when its a footballer though? Why aren't they upset about how much money Mark Zuckerberg has?

Qwiss! wrote:

jones wrote:

Maybe this transfer does have something good to it. Couple of people I talked to about it after it dawned on them what his weekly wages are (1 Euro per second, more than half a million a week etc all after tax) realised that it really should not be okay for anyone to "earn" that much money

Why do people only get outraged when its a footballer though? Why aren't they upset about how much money Mark Zuckerberg has?

I suspect that people think famous tech billionaires like Gates, Zuckerberg and Elon Musk add (or try to add) value and have created new industries so are in some way more deserving than a footballer.

A lot of people are upset about how much money Mark Zuckerberg (and the likes) have. Isn't that the root of Bernie Sanders' popularity, Brexit and so on? Having said that, the distribution of wealth in the world is terribly lopsided.

It's because Neymar does what most people reckon they could have done with a couple of extra hours in the park as a kid.

In all seriousness, I think it's more resentment for his employers. Signing Neymar for an overall cost of over £400m is the equivalent of gold plating your Bugatti so you can stand out while you drive past the homeless.

Mirth wrote:

Qwiss! wrote:

Why do people only get outraged when its a footballer though? Why aren't they upset about how much money Mark Zuckerberg has?

I suspect that people think famous tech billionaires like Gates, Zuckerberg and Elon Musk add (or try to add) value and have created new industries so are in some way more deserving than a footballer.

I agree.

Zuckerberg created facebook and it is used by millions for various reasons. Advertisers will spend millions to host stuff on there etc. Significantly these tech giants are paid after the impact.

Footballers are paid by to deliver a "service" they may not fulfil like score loads of goals to win the best trophies multiple times. It's more likely with Neymar than Welbeck so he is paid more but it's not a certainty. He could get injured for a start.

What about oil sheikhs, tv-personalities, pop stars, etc?

I suspect that when all is said and done, Neymar will have been worth every penny.

Bold Tone wrote:

What about oil sheikhs, tv-personalities, pop stars, etc?

Oil sheiks are hated but they're less well known.

People were up in arms with BBC personalities earning hundreds of thousands  per year.

Pop stars make hits that are downloaded and bought with tickets sold at packed venues. That's fair enough.

Captain wrote:

I suspect that when all is said and done, Neymar will have been worth every penny.

Ironically the amount they paid and the hype train that goes along with it will probably aid that.

As others have pointed out, City have spent over 200m and a combined £600k a week in wages this summer too. It just happens to be on a bunch of nobodies.

Just scrolling through Facebook, 3 out of 4 "sponsored" posts have Neymar front and center. Bloke has something stupid like a combined 130m social followers, he's in films, he has legitimately famous people in his 'entourage', he's young, trendy and marketable. The bloke is a bonafide star and he's only going to get bigger.

This transfer has the potential to be a game changer for the entire french league, not just PSG.

Tony Montana wrote:

Pop stars make hits that are downloaded and bought with tickets sold at packed venues. That's fair enough.

And Neymar provides entertainment that people pay subscriptions to watch. He attracts viewers, which attract advertisers.

If anyone deserves the money from football its the footballers.

Captain wrote:

Just scrolling through Facebook, 3 out of 4 "sponsored" posts have Neymar front and center. Bloke has something stupid like a combined 130m social followers, he's in films, he has legitimately famous people in his 'entourage', he's young, trendy and marketable. The bloke is a bonafide star and he's only going to get bigger.

This transfer has the potential to be a game changer for the entire french league, not just PSG.

This is true - I think his relative coverage in the UK is relatively low compared to other top stars but he was one of the most marketable athletes in the world before he joined Barcelona.

Mirth wrote:

Qwiss! wrote:

Why do people only get outraged when its a footballer though? Why aren't they upset about how much money Mark Zuckerberg has?

I suspect that people think famous tech billionaires like Gates, Zuckerberg and Elon Musk add (or try to add) value and have created new industries so are in some way more deserving than a footballer.

I think so too, but it's a false equivalent. People assume that there's any correlation between the price the market puts on something and how much value it contributes to people's lives. Neymar has given me a lot more than Mark Zuckerberg, that's for sure.

Unless he goes and breaks a leg or something I think this is going to be considered the most successful football transfer of all time in a few years. It's going to transform Ligue 1 and change the power dynamic in European football.

Out of interest why do you guys think it will transform Ligue 1?

Klaus wrote:

Mirth wrote:

I suspect that people think famous tech billionaires like Gates, Zuckerberg and Elon Musk add (or try to add) value and have created new industries so are in some way more deserving than a footballer.

I think so too, but it's a false equivalent. People assume that there's any correlation between the price the market puts on something and how much value it contributes to people's lives. Neymar has given me a lot more than Mark Zuckerberg, that's for sure.

Your feelings towards Neymar or Facebook are irrelevant though - it's not your money to begin with. To the owners at PSG, Neymar is worth the investment. Similarly for those who hitched themselves to the Zuckerberg horse, he's been worth every penny.

My own view is that I have little interest in people's own incomes since they amount to a fraction of the vast amounts of wealth that are held by certain individuals and aren't even pumped back into the economy. But maybe that's taking this thread too off topic.

Mirth wrote:

Klaus wrote:

I think so too, but it's a false equivalent. People assume that there's any correlation between the price the market puts on something and how much value it contributes to people's lives. Neymar has given me a lot more than Mark Zuckerberg, that's for sure.

Your feelings towards Neymar or Facebook are irrelevant though - it's not your money to begin with. To the owners at PSG, Neymar is worth the investment. Similarly for those who hitched themselves to the Zuckerberg horse, he's been worth every penny.

Right, I'm just saying that the money or the investment it represents is irrelevant in terms of how much meaning said investment generates for people. It wasn't a market argument. Neymar is literally a national icon in Brazil. Kids in the favela don't care about how PSG is going to pay to dissolve his contract with Barca. They admire him because he's a football player.

Captain wrote:

I suspect that when all is said and done, Neymar will have been worth every penny.

Absolutely, when players like Lukaku are going for £80m+ Neymar is easily worth more than double his price. Neymar is probably in the top 3 most marketable players in the world, this will massively lift PSG's profile.

goon wrote:

Out of interest why do you guys think it will transform Ligue 1?

It'll bring more interest to Ligue 1 overall and could potentially push PSG to the level of a club like Bayern.