Neymar and Barcelona need each other now more than ever

With Neymar‘s faltering reputation and Barcelona’s Champions League failures since his departure, the rumored Neymar–Ousmane Dembélé swap reported by Sport may be the only way for both sides to fulfill their potential.

August 3, 2017 was undoubtedly one of most transformational days the world of football has seen in recent memory. Nearly two years on, a day of joy for Neymar and the people of Paris and one of despair in Catalonia has changed the sport’s modern landscape as well as the fate of both parties involved.

Although the brilliance of Lionel Messi has papered over serious cracks within Ernesto Valverde’s Barcelona, helping the Blaugrana to back-to-back La Liga titles and a Copa del Rey win last season, Barcelona simply are not the same since their Brazilian superstar departed.

Champions League embarrassments in consecutive years against Roma and Liverpool and floundering to a Copa del Rey final loss to Valencia has left Barça in need of serious repair if they have any hope of winning another Champions League with Messi at the top of his game. The majority of Valverde’s signings have not made enough of an impact to keep Barcelona as one of Europe’s elite sides, while his poor tactics and weak mentality has taken its toll on the Blaugrana in the Champions League.

Simply put, since that fateful day, Barcelona are not the same. While flashes of brilliance lead us to reminisce of the greatness of the 2015 treble-winning side, the reality of the situation is that Luis Suárez is nowhere near the player he was four years ago, the presence of Javier Mascherano, Xavi, and Andrés Iniesta has left the club, and Messi does not have a running mate anywhere near the quality of Neymar.

With regard to the Brazilian winger, Neymar’s time in the French capital has not gone to plan. At Paris-Saint Germain, where the only true measure of success is the Champions League, Neymar has been injured for back-to-back Round of 16 eliminations to Real Madrid and Manchester United.

More than just his inability to stay healthy however, his antics and poor attitude have only intensified since his departure from Barcelona. From berating a referee on social media leading to a European ban for the start of next season, to an altercation with a fan after losing the Coupe de France final, the Brazilian’s reputation is at an all-time low.

Moreover, with the goal of escaping the shadow of friend and fellow superstar Messi in order to lead his own team to glory and contend for the Ballon D’Or, Neymar has fallen into obscurity and is now seen as a secondary piece to 20-year old phenom Kylian Mbappé.

There is a serious case to be made that PSG’s £198 million gamble has failed and that it is time to move on, reinvest that money into weaker areas of the squad, and build around their young French superstar.

A homecoming for Neymar, while unlikely, could be just the fix needed to repair a painful two-year spell for both Barcelona and the player. The pending departures of Philippe Coutinho, Samuel Umtiti, Arturo Vidal, and others could finance the move as the club look to move into a new direction. Neymar will return humbled and ready to once again prove that he is one of the world’s best footballers, and Barcelona will once again have the missing piece that helped the club to their greatest success in the post-Guardiola era.