With Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund set to square off, leave it to F.C. Barcelona to steal some of the spotlight in landing Brazilian phenom Neymar.
The Spanish giants have inked the signature of Santos F.C. striker, Neymar for a transfer fee of $32.3 million.
The 21-year old Brazilian, who scored 20 goals for his native Brazil in international competitions and 130 goals in 229 matches for Santos, chose Barcelona over their Catalan rivals, Real Madrid, per ESPN FC.
The two-time South American Player Of The Year helped lead Santos F.C. to the 2010 Brazilian Cup, the 2011 Copa Libertadores and three consecutive Sao Paulo state championships.
In landing Neymar, Barcelona adds to their already impressive starting XI which consists of Dani Alves, Lionel Messi, David Villa, Andres Inieista and Xavi.
The question one has to ask is where does Neymar fit in and can he handle the pressures of playing for a top-flight club such as Barcelona.
While Santos is a respected top-flight club in Brazil, make no mistake that this is Camp Nou we are talking about here, where the pressure to win the Champions League—and Real Madrid—is extraordinary to say the least.
While there is no doubt that Neymar is a natural fit for Tito Vilanova’s tika-taka finesse system, you have to wonder if investing over $30 million in an unproven commodity such as Neymar will pay off for Barca in the long run.
Robert D. Cobb is the Founder/CEO/Senior Editor-In-Chief Of The Inscriber : Digital Magazine, for questions, comments and concerns email me at [email protected] follow me on Twitter @RC_TheInscriber and follow The Inscriber : Digital Magazine on Twitter at @TheInscriber
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