What Just Happened? - Neymar to PSG.

Neymar to PSG has been much like all of the monumental transfer rumours that fly around every summer. Messi to leave Barcelona, Ronaldo to return to Manchester United, in fact just about everyone to Manchester United. But believe it or not, the century defining transfer appears to be on it's way to completion after the Brazilian was given permission by the Catalan giant to go and 'sort out his future'.

Now just because Neymar has been given permission to speak to the Paris based club doesn't mean the deal is secured, in fact today Barcelona have also stated that PSG will have to pay the full amount that is stated on the Brazilian's buy out clause, an astounding £198 million, and they will have to pay it in full, up front. PSG are however one of few clubs who could afford the asking price, and with backing from their Qatari owners the former French champions look set to pay the price. This deal will more then double the current world record transfer fee, held by Manchester United and Paul Pogba when he moved from Juventus last summer for £89 million, and this isn't the only way money is a huge factor in this deal. The move could see Neymar become the worlds best paid player, even beating out a number of the ludicrous wage bills coming from China. Paris Saint Germain are prepared to double Neymar's current wage, and it will not be only Neymar Jr getting richer, but senior will as well. It was reported that during the Brazilian forwards initial move to the Camp Nou, his father pocketed an incredible 100 million euro, and with the sale of his son, Neymar senior will receive a 36 million euro commission. This is all taking place after, on Monday 31st July, senior also received a stated 26 million euro loyalty bonus... for his sons loyalty to Barcelona... days before his move to PSG looked like it was on... okay then.

At 25 years old Neymar is already an incredibly rich man, and although his father seems driven by money, the tricky winger doesn't seem to see it as a motivating factor as much. The move to Barcelona demonstrates that, as Real Madrid were prepared to out bid Barca both in terms of transfer fee and wages. So if it isn't money, what else could be pushing Neymar away? Quite simply, and it is quite sad in reality, but Lionel Messi. MSN, Messi, Suarez & Neymar. The Barcelona front line is simply the best in the world, bar none, with three of the world's best players. However the front man will always be, and always has been, Lionel Messi. The Argentinian is seen as the one who started it all, during the 2008/2009 season when the Catalonian's won the treble, it was Messi who was made the figure head of that team, and it has been that way ever since. Now, Xavi, Iniesta, Henry, Suarez, Eto'o, these stars didn't seem to have a problem with being second fiddle to the worlds best, but Neymar appears to have exactly that problem. 8th March 2017, Barcelona 6-1 PSG. One of the most incredible matches of all time, and after Barca had made history, a photo of Messi, stood on top of an advertising board went viral. Seen as an image for the game, 70 million people had seen the snapshot within 48 hours of it going live, and that is where the problem lays. Messi wasn't the star of the show, he wasn't the man who's curling free kick set the comeback in motion, who both won and scored a penalty moments later, or who's chipped ball out thought the entire PSG defence and created the iconic goal scored by Sergi Roberto. It was Neymar. The late assist was Neymar's eighth of the competition, the most of any player, and he had led throughout the game, but he was pushed to a supporting role by Messi, despite deserving leading man accolades for his performance. On record the Brazilian has stated this was the best performance he has given in the red and blue of Barcelona, and the lasting image will always be, Lionel Messi. With Barcelona though, it almost always is. If Neymar truly wants centre stage, to be seen as 'the guy' then he can't do that at Barcelona, not for another few years at least, and by then his best years may have passed him by. What makes this heart braking in a way is two fold, firstly it breaks up the incredible MSN threesome, which is potentially the best attacking line in history. But also, if Neymar holds some form of grudge against Messi, the Argentinian certainly doesn't feel the same. On his official Instagram Messi has posted a video, made up of pictures of the two of them, with the caption 'It was a great pleasure to spend all these years with you my friend Neymar. I wish you good luck in this new stage of your life. See you tomorrow.'

Neymar's move to PSG could be the decision that sees the Brazilian catapulted into superstardom. The French club have just lost their title to Monaco, one they'll be desperate to win back, but above all else, they'll have their eyes on the Champions League. In the 2015 Champions League final, Neymar stared and scored for Barcelona on the way to a 3-1 win, he also scored four goals and provided four assists during the World Cup in Brazil. Neymar also scored the winning penalty in the gold medal match during the 2016 Olympics, a match not taken too seriously around the world, but one seen as huge in Brazil. At just 25 years old the Brazilian has proven he has what it takes to perform on the biggest stage, and he could easily develop into the best player in the world. But would he ever been seen as anything more then a supporting act when he shared the team with Messi? It's a question we perhaps will never get an answer to as Neymar's eyes seem firmly set on a move to Paris. In terms of domestic football it is a HUGE drop in standard, and you have to question whether or not Neymar will be seen as 'taking the easy way out' by going to France, and you have to question if his performances there will ever lead to Balon D'or accreditation? After all, Zlatan scored 113 league goals in 122 league games for the same club, including 38 goals in 31 games during his final season, and yet was never considered the best player in the world because he was playing in a 'mediocre league'. Then on the other hand, Kylian Mbappe has flourished in the same league, and the teenager is tipped for an incredible £100 million + move away from Monaco, and with Monaco reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League this year, the league appears to be on the way up. PSG failing to win the title shows an increase in competition, in fact Nice were also challenging for the title for most of the season. SO perhaps this is the best time for Neymar to come to France, he could not only be the main man in a new look PSG side, but the figurehead for a growing division, much like Messi was in Spain in the late 2000's and ever since.

So what could Barcelona do to persuade Neymar to stay? Well it appeared that a move for Liverpool's Philipe Coutinho, Neymar's friend from childhood, could be what the board do to keep the Brazilian in Spain. However after a reported £90 million offer was rejected by Liverpool, and manager Jurgen Klopp has very sternly stated that his star man is not for sale, the deal seems to be off for now. You could argue however that the Coutinho offer was to bring in Neymar's immediate replacement, but that same argument can't be used for the next rumoured transfer. Paulinho To Barcelona. What? The midfielder who failed to impress for Spurs in England and has spent the last couple of seasons in China was subject to a rumoured 40 million euro offer from the Spanish giants. Why? Well, Paulinho is also one of Neymar's close friends, it appears Barca were certain that the signing of a friend would keep their number 11 at the club. However when Guangzhou Evergrande said Paulinho was not for sale, the move appeared to die there and then. (Probably for the best, Paulinho isn't fit to lace up Iniesta's boots let alone play in the same midfield as him. ) It isn't just the club trying to hold onto one of their star men, but Neymar's team mates as well. Luis Suarez was reportedly using a plane journey to the USA to try and convince his fellow South American to stay, as well as Gerard Pique, who has had a lot to say on the matter. When asked about the rumours, Pique responded with "He could go to any club in the world, what does he want? More money? Or more titles? I could understand that he wants to be a leader, but not for a sporting project, in all fairness, he's betting everything on one hand (Champions League.)" A few days earlier Pique appeared to be trying to calm the storm, posting on twitter a picture of the Brazilian, the caption being translates to 'he is staying'. However three days after making the post, when again questioned about the move, Pique confirmed everything apart from the statement he had made. The Spanish centre back said that he had spoken to Neymar with the intention of convincing him to stay, and that his hope was the same. Many people at Barcelona consider the Brazilian as the second best player on the planet, and that him staying would be best for his own sake, as well as the clubs. "He doesn't know what to do." Pique followed with. "We'll try to help him make the right decision."

The decision appears to have been made, with Neymar, his father, his representatives, PSG and Barcelona all stating that the move is on. Whether or not this is the correct decision is yet to be seen, one thing is for certain though, this will be the most ground breaking transfer in the history of world football. We've seen stars move from one club to the next, but this will be the first time a transfer of this magnitude has taken place. Barcelona are known for putting huge buy out clauses on their players, representing a 'not for sale sign' and for the first time in history, the huge number wasn't huge enough. The future and present of Brazilian football could be on his way to the French capital, it could go either way, do I want to see the move happen? No. Am I interested? Oh yes. Do I think is is the right thing for Neymar to do? No. But will a player of Neymar's quality continue to be one of the best in the world, no matter where he is? Yes he will.

England - When is the real 'golden generation' going to begin?

As qualifying for thist years European Championship draws to a close, England boast the only perfect record in qualifying, with 10 wins from 10. A strong qualifying campaign is, for most teams, a sign of intent for the major tournament, however for England, its been quite the opposite on more occasions then most. The best example of this in recent years is perhaps the 2010 World Cup in south Africa, despite a very strong qualifying campaign and a new manager in Fabio Capello who had appeared to rejuvenate the three lions. However, just one win in the tournament and a 4-1 humbling by the Germans showed how far behind we appear to be compared to the rest of the top sides and that our strong qualifying counted for nothing! This underachievement at major tournaments has because a far too common occurrence for the nation which invented the sport, and is even worse when you consider the players who have pulled on the famous white shirt in the last 20+ years!

Since the turn of the millennium, the national team haven't progressed past the quarter finals in a single major competition, with many of those eliminations coming against side which we Englishmen compare ourselves to, but seems to be years ahead of England in terms of ability and progression.  One other thing that happened at the start of the 2000's was perhaps the worst thing that could have happened to the current crop of talent, that certain English side was declared as the 'golden generation' this put much unneeded pressure on the players, and made the poor performances at major tournaments an even more bitter pill to swallow. Players such as Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, David Beckham, Michael Owen, John Terry and many many more players where tipped to lead the 1966 World Champions to glory, but under performed when it mattered most!

With countries such as Germany, Spain and France in the last 2 decades taking advantage of a generation of amazing talent to push themselves to the top of the footballing world, you have to wonder if the three lions are capable of achieving a similar task. When you consider the caliber of players to have played at Wembley and failed to deliver on the big stage in recent years, you have to wonder if our current crop of talent, who are seen as being not even half the side we had 10 years ago, have the slightest chance at competing next year in France or in future tournaments.

Lets not rule out the current squad without taking a look at the key members. Of course the highest goal scorer in the history of the national side is the current captain, Wayne Rooney, with 50 international goals. With Daniel Sturridge (when he's fit), Harry Kane and inform Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy adding more options to the England attack, the three lions certainly still have their bite! When you add in the attacking threat from the wings, with Raheem Sterling and Theo Walcott being the stand outs for those roles, England have got pace in abundance. The worry for this English side comes from the back, I would personally not put a single midfielder in the current England squad, into the side we fielded ten years ago, with the stand out player on form at the moment being Ross Barkley, who has been incredibly inconsistent in the past few seasons. With defenders such as Gary Cahill, Chris Smalling, Ryan Bertrand and Nathaniel Clyne, Roy Hodgson can field a strong back four, but one which pales in comparison to English defenses of the past! One final positive is the strength between the sticks, Joe Hart has been a stand our goal keeper in the Premier League for years, and number two Jack Butland looks destined for greatness.

Despite not losing a single competitive game in 2015, I can't see our current crop of talent getting anywhere near the top spots in world football. In the future, a new generation may come along and push England towards greater heights but right now... It looks like we might be waiting a while for the true 'Golden Generation'.

Euro 2016 - Can anyone stop the Germans?

The 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil showed the entire football world a lot of things. James Rodriguez is destined for greatness, Neymar can produce on the big stage, England are not as good as we all think they are, Spain's age of dominance is over, and that Gary Linekar was right. "Football is a simple game, 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes, and at the end, the Germans always win."

Germany showed the world the quality they possessed by almost effortlessly at times, walking past some of the worlds elite, including crushing hosts Brazil 7-1 in the semi finals breaking many World Cup records in the process, before beating Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the final to secure their fourth World Cup title. Portugal, France, Brazil and Argentina are all teams that had high hopes for a successful tournament, and Germany beat all of them clinically and efficiently, typical German football. With the next major tournament being Euro 2016 in France the question is... Who can stop them? That is the question I will be trying to answer today.


The current world champions have consistently been one of the dominant forces in world football throughout the history of the game. Four world titles and Three European championships just starts to describe the impact they've had on the world game. Throughout the years, Germany have produced some of the worlds greatest stars, players that would set the benchmark for other to aspire to, however perhaps a major point in Germany's success over the years is the abundance of talent they have to call upon at any time. Two of the best players ever to represent the German national side where Gerd Muller and Franz Beckenbauer, these two great players featured in the same great german national side which went on to win the 1974 FIFA World Cup, defeating Johan Cryuff's 'total football' giants Neatherlands, with Muller scoring the winner and captain Beckenbauer lifting the famous trophy at full time. This is just one example of German national sides having many world stars in their side at one, even looking at the most recent German side from the 2014 World Cup win, the side included the highest goal scorer in World Cup history in Miroslav Klose who is also Germany's all time leading goal scorer. Lukas Podolski, who is the national sides third all time leading goal scorer and appearance maker, making him one of the most consistent and successful players to represent the country. Philip Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Per Mertasaker who all, like Podolski, have made more then 100 appearances for the national team. Also you have to mention the man who went on the win the bronze award at that years Ballon D'or, Manuel Neuer, the goal keeper who is known as the best in the world. Other world stars such as Thomas Muller, the man who won the golden boot at the previous World Cup (2010 South Africa), Toni Kroos, the playmaker who had just signed for Spanish giants Real Madrid and has made an incredible 60 appearances at the age of only 25! And of course the Bayern Munich star Mario Gotze, the man who scored the winning goal in the final!


Now although a number of first team regulars have retired since last summers World Cup, the German pool of talent has just promoted many future world beaters to take their place. Liverpool defender Emre Can is tipped to be a future world class player, he has recently been called up to the first team in preparation for next years European championships. Marco Reus missed the world cup triumph with injury, but the Dortmund winger is one of the worlds fastest growing player, and he is a tip to star at the tournament. Finally Julian Draxler,the creative midfielder has been tipped for greatest through his entire career, he has already made 15 appearances and scored his first goal for the national side at the young age of 22, the Wolfburg star looks all but certain to be a first teamer for the German's for many years. So... who will stop them?


France. The French are hosting next years tournament and the hosts of major tournaments always seem to have an instant advantage, home field advantage. Despite poor performances at international level since reaching the 2006 FIFA World Cup final, France have a history of winning when it matters at home, with their only World Cup title (1998) being won when they hosted the tournament. A new influx of young talent is making the football world stand up and take note again, after a few years in the wilderness due to not being able to replace their stars who had led to such success in the late 90's early 2000's. The inability to replace Zinadine Zidane, Thiery Henry, Patrick Viera,  Robert Pires, David Trezeguet and many other lead to failures in major tournaments from 2008 all the way through last summers World Cup. However recently the French has been promoting a much younger side, a team including players who are tipped to be future stars and could revive French football.


Juventus youngster Paul Pogba is the winner of the 2014 Golden Boy award, an award with the goal of picking out the next big stars in the world of football. Pogba has been turning heads over the last few seasons with incredible goals and eye catching performances despite still only being 22. Pogba was also awarded with the 2014 young player of the tournament at the World Cup despite only progressing to the Quarter Finals. Pogba looks like he really could be one of the next big things in football, and after receiving many comparisons to French legend Patrick Viera, we could be looking at a future French captain in Pogba. Anthony Marital is now the most expensive teenage footballer of all time, the 19 year old has recently signed for Manchester United for an initial £36,000,000 and despite having critics over the price, the Frenchmen had started the season brilliantly, with four goals in four games, including the final goal on his debut against rivals Liverpool, a goal which earned him comparisons to the great Thierry Henry. Now it is much to early in his career to compare Marital to Henry, but the signs all look promising, and after appearing in both of the recent international fixtures, his first two appearances for the national side, Marital looks set for greatness and could be a star for France in next years championships. Another French youngster to watch for at next years tournament is Chelsea centre back Kurt Zouma. In his first full season with the club he helped them to a domestic double, earning early praise from fellow professionals for his mature performances despite his young age. Zouma has just turned 20 and appears to be improving with every performance, with this season the Frenchman looks like a first team regular for the English champions. A commanding centre back is something France has drastically missed in recent years, and Zouma could be the answer to their prayers.


Could this newly formed side of young talent bring about a change in the footballing world? Could the French be the next side to dominate international football? Only time will tell.


Holland. The Dutch national side is perhaps the biggest under achieving side in history. Considering the 'Total football' style of play revolutionising football and basically inventing the 4-3-3 formation, despite producing some of the best teams and the best players in history, The Netherlands have only ever won one major competition (European championships 1988). To put it into perspective, Holland have lost three world cup finals, the most of any national side to never win the competition, an incredible statistic which just shows how Holland struggle when the pressure is really on. However, their performance at the recent 2014 World Cup could suggest otherwise. Throughout much of the tournament, many people backed the Dutch to be Germany's closest rivals for the title, only eventually losing to Argentina in the semi-finals on penalties when perhaps they deserved to go through. On that basis the Dutch should be able to mount a strong challenge in France... If they get there. Despite being an early front runner, The Netherlands have struggled in their qualifying group as far. Now although they have struggled so far, you'd have to back them to qualify and if they do, the new look Dutch side could mount a real Challenge on the Germans.


The new Manchester United signing Memphis Depay could be a real catalyst of change in Holland, as he is one of the hottest prospects to come out of the country in years. The fee to United is a reported £25,000,000 and he has shown glimmers of the class which made the former Dutch manager Van Gaal spend that kind of money on him. Depay's style of football is one the resembles current Dutch captain Arjen Robben, one of the Dutch's best players over the last decade. If Depay continues with his development and grows up to meet those expectations, he could really help to push Holland to the top of world football. Holland have always been a side with class in abundance, particularly in its midfield, and the current side is no different. With veteran Wesley Sneijder still pulling the strings in the heart of the side, the young future stars of Holland's midfield have one of the very best to learn from. Davy Klassen is a player with a lot of hype surrounding him in the new look side. The Ajax attacking midfielder has had perhaps one of the biggest compliments you can have in Dutch football. Comparisons to Johan Cryuff. Now its far to early in the Holland career of Klassen to be saying he will be as good as the legendary number 14, but hearing those kind of things can only increase the confidence of the people of Holland, that perhaps a new era could be drawing close. One thing you cant do when talking about the Dutch national side is forget to talk about their captain. Arjen Robben. Some love him, some hate him but what no one can deny is that he has been Hollands best player for years, and despite getting older, is still producing the goods for his country every time he pulls on the famous orange shirt. Alongside Robben The Netherlands have a rich collection of veterans still producing for the side. Robin Van Persie, Klass Jan Hunterlaar, Wesley Sneijder and Nigel De Jong are all big names in Dutch football who are acting as teaching for the future of their national team, and keeping these names around for as long as they have mean that the young stars coming through are going to learn about the national side from the best.


Total football. An idea that changed football, but never gained to success it deserved, well maybe the new look Dutch side can finally bring their country the glory it has missed out on over the years.

The final side I will be looking at as a potential team to end the German reign of dominance is a side many teams backed as dark horses for last summers world cup but didn't live up to the hype. Belgium. A team with bags of potential, with a wide selection of stars of the footballing world and players who look like being future world beaters. Belgium have struggled on the world stage throughout most of the history of the game, with their best performance in a major tournament being finishing second in the 1980 European championships. Six years later they where knocked out in the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup in the most successful period in the countries football history but the team they have put together now has a possibility of challenging that period.

The 'red devil's' side boasts a strong combination of experienced veterans and young players with potential to be great. We'll start with the captain, Vincent Kompany. The Manchester City captain has lifted two Premier League titles, one FA Cup and one Capital One cup in the last five years so he is more then use to success and brings the winning mentality the side will need. At 29 years old, despite being one of the oldest players in the current team, the skipper is certainly going to be leading his side out in France next year and that could be essential to their success. Kompany received plenty of criticism last season with poor performances, however at the start of this term we're seeing the best of the big Belgian again and it couldn't have come at a better time with Euro 2016 right around the corner. Now onto the man I cant see ending his career without a Ballon D'or to his name, Eden Hazard. The winger has came on massively since his move to Chelsea in 2012, and he is highly regarded as one of the best players in the world. The current PFA Player of the year is without a doubt the Belgium national sides biggest threat, and threat which could see them turn over even the traditional big guns in European football. Despite a slow start to this domestic season, the Chelsea number 10 is without a doubt of of the outstanding players in the world, and on top of that, possess the potential to grow into one of the best in the generation. Hazard could be a catalyst of change for his national side, and lead them to their first major title next year in France. Belgium boast some of the highest potential stars in the world right now, and Kevin De Bruyne is one of the most raved about members of the current side. Despite a unsuccessful spell at Chelsea, De Bruyne has continued to grow, and after regrouping at Wolfsburg, he returned to the Premier League for a record fee of £55,000,000. While watching the midfielder it is obvious why Manchester City spent that money, his play style has earned him comparisons to some of the greatest play makers in football, his game as a whole is a joy to watch and one that looks set to keep improving. De Bruyne proved he can handle himself on the big stage at last summers world cup, scoring the winning goal in extra time again the United States, which is one of seven international goals in his thirty appearances. The Premier Leagues most expensive player could play a pivotal role in Belgium's future success.

With a squad made up of experienced veterans and high potential youngsters, the dark horses of last years world cup could pose a real challenge in next years UEFA European Championships.

If the German dominance is to come to a stop any time soon, these three sides may have the best chance of doing it. One nation under a rebirth, one nation trying to fix their underachieving history, and another trying to get a permanent invited to the top table of world football. At Euro 2016 i personally believe Germany's dominance will continue, however they will be pushed all the way by the hosts, France. France are my pick to end the German dominance over the next few years.