Ranking the 5 retired players who could have broken Neymar's transfer record
Just how much money is too much is a question Paris Saint-Germain immuned themselves to when they broke the bank to sign Neymar. A world-record fee of €222 million was splashed to bring one of football's most entertaining and potent forwards to Paris in his prime.
At 25, the Brazilian showcased his abilities in Spain and on Europe's elite platform in the Champions League. There were no two ways about it, Neymar was the X-factor that could herald PSG into a new era where ambition and dreams were not mere words but reality.
Four years have passed since Neymar first wore the PSG jersey and there isn't anything extraordinary that the French giants have won. Their Ligue 1 and domestic supremacy existed long before their star man's arrival and it did afterwards as well.
The club did bask in personal glory when they reached the finals of the Champions League for the first time in their history in 2020. But they stayed fingertips away from the title, losing to Bayern Munich. The Brazilian did his best, registering three goals and four assists in seven appearances during that run.
PSG's dream of conquering Europe: unrealised, their appetite for Champions League silverware: starved. If only money could buy magic, the French club would save a chunk of what they spent on Neymar and resurrect the greatest of footballers in their prime, bringing them into their ranks.
If only. But who would they spend all that money on, surely they had to be the greatest pair of legs who ever kicked a ball, the most gifted brains who played the game.
Here we remember five absolute legends of this lovely game who would have deserved every bit of money spent to buy their talent, even more than Neymar's record:
#5 Zinedine Zidane
The elegance and grace that mesmerizes is heard plenty of, but the elegance and grace that is brutal and threatening, rarely spotted if ever. That was Zinedine Zidane personified in his prime. His presence on the pitch was magnetic. To outrun opponents without an effortful sprint, to outmuscle them with the laziest shrug and drop of shoulder, you knew every dollar you spent was worth it.
A first touch that never failed and looked more beautiful every time it was on display, the crispest pass, dribbling that made defenders look like mannequins. Zidane was a facilitator, not a prolific scorer, a creator beyond any restriction of vision. PSG did not enjoy this unpralleled domination back in 1990s or early 2000s and luring the majestic Frenchman wasn't a cup of their tea.
🇵🇹🆚🇫🇷 When France legend Zinédine Zidane produced one of THE great EURO performances back in 2000 😍
#EURO2020 | @FrenchTeam https://t.co/7SGBSfst9e
Today, with the Qatari power that backs them, they would have given all that money and more without a second thought to make sure Zidane wears PSG colors.
Success was the inevitable result of the France international's artistry on the pitch. World Cup, Champions League, Serie A, La Liga, European Championship, Zidane had won everything, including the Ballon d'Or to reflect personal brilliance.
In fact, if PSG were under crisis, Zizou could well come back from retirement and guide them to a final, like he did with France!
#4 Gerd Muller
Gerd Muller was the synonym for goals and goals signified him. If you have to pay someone to score goals for you, then the purest of strikers hailing from Germany was the smartest choice. He wasn't the defender's ugliest nightmare nor was he the fiercest striker in football. And no, he did not disappear into a blur when he ran.
Muller knew one thing: the football was too little compared to the goal it had to be put in and there was plenty of space to put it in. A finisher par excellence, the German striker's reading of the game, his immaculate judgment, phenomenal leap and ability to score when it was most needed saw him nicknamed Der Bomber.
Just as PSG forgot how much money was too much money when they signed Neymar, Muller forgot how many goals would make just too many goals. He was a man of sharp instincts, the best on the pitch and all he did was ensure being at the right place, at the right time, to score goals.
FIFA pays tribute to 'Der Bomber', who sadly passed away today at the age of 75. RIP Gerd Muller.
👉 fifa.com/about-fifa/org…
https://t.co/oZVzpDb5pI
He was no merchant of entertainment like the Brazilian Neymar, in fact he came across as clumsy on occasions, but PSG needed someone who could score big goals, didn't they? In 1970, the German striker won the Golden Boot with 10 goals in just six games. He scored in the semi-finals and finals of the 1972 Euro.
Two years later, Muller netted the winner in the 1974 World Cup. That goal against Holland personifies how sneakily impossible it was to stop his goals. He scored a grand total of 662 first-team goals in official club fixtures. Der Bomber was the first German player to win the Ballon d'Or. Unfortunately, he passed away in August 2021.