Neymar's PSG problems: The truth behind the world's most expensive player's struggles in Paris

You don’t need to have a psychology degree from the Sorbonne to notice that at PSG – another home of the Paris elite – Neymar Jnr is not in a particularly good place at the moment.

The Brazilian’s unhappiness is palpable and the schadenfreude being exhibited by many is not dissimilar to that displayed by those who go to the circus to watch the man on the flying trapeze, not so much to see him perform but more in the hope that he will fall off.

An eye-watering £200m price tag was always going to be a ball and chain around Neymar’s neck. Leaving Barcelona was never going to be easy. One of the main reasons why he moved to PSG is because with Leo Messi at Barcelona, he was never going to establish himself as number one, head honcho, top banana, call it what you will, at the club, then he truly is living proof of the phrase: ‘be careful what you wish for’. He had all the right in the world to push himself. But those things always take time.

Some say that on the world transfer stage there is a ‘before Neymar’ transfer price level and an ‘after Neymar’ one. How else would you explain Barcelona’s €105m plus €40m in add ons for the – as it turned out, unfortunate – purchase of a 20-year-old Ousmane Dembele with just 32 Bundesliga appearances and six goals to his name? Crazy days, maybe, but hardly Neymar’s fault.

The problem, of course, is that as with just about everything in this engrossing soap opera and continually changing saga that is football, nothing is ever completely as it seems. What you frequently have is a cast list, plot lines and set of circumstances ideal for creating the perfect storm, the maelstrom of which Neymar is currently finding himself in.

If you ignore the brash and the bling, the truth is that Neymar is, as so many of these players are, very much a contradiction.

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A much heralded superstar, feted and fawned upon by so many but also a boy from the barrio, a young man of humble stock blessed with the the gift of greatness. Mixed marriages such as this always come with their problems not least because very often not even the player himself knows who he truly is.

What he does know is that where he is in his comfort zone is when he steps on to the playing side of the whitewash and not when he has to spend endless hours explaining and justifying his relationship with players, coaches and even the very city itself where he is now plying his trade.

What he wants to do over and above everything else is what every player of his stature wants – namely to win, win again, and then win some more. Unfortunately that was never going to be enough for certain elements of Gallic society for whom the game itself is merely a part of the whole story.

The notion that he arrived in Barcelona from Brazil in a seamless, painless way, another member of the South American diaspora making his way to European nirvana is ludicrous. He struggled to find his feet before eventually establishing for himself and those around him an extremely luxurious home and lifestyle in Catalonia.

He felt at home in Barcelona and given time will do likewise in Paris, another of the truly great cities of the world. It is not just all about money. It’s about being happy with where you are, who you are, and with with what you are doing. This will come in time for Neymar in Paris but in the meantime there are some people out there – and, more worryingly, in there – that are making mischief.

Here’s what happens..or perhaps, more accurately, what is happening.

PSG is still a team in transition and the likes of Neymar and Kylian M’bappe are very much part of the process. Unfortunately, what occurs during periods of transition is that some players look over their shoulders, realise that any change will mean their days are numbered and make the conscious decision that if they are going to go then it’s not going to be quietly.

In any club, anywhere in the world, the old guard inevitably have long established contacts with the media. PSG is no different.

So what we are seeing here is a horrible cocktail of false rumours, allegations, half truths and downright whopping great ‘porkies’ seeping out of that pressure cooker that is the PSG dressing room and training camp and dripping in the general direction of those sections of the media that are fully paid up members of the “never let the truth spoil a good story” school of journalism

His relationship with other big stars at PSG, most notable Edinson Cavani have come into question and there have also been reports of a rift with manager Unai Emery. In a magazine interview with O Globo following Brazil’s win over Japan, he was quick to deny any rumours said that he is unhappy at PSG, insisting that he got on with everybody at the club.

“I’m fine, happy, motivated, satisfied and giving everything on the pitch,” he said. “But it’s something that’s bothering me a lot because they’re inventing stories that aren’t true.

“I have no problem with Cavani, I have no problem with the coach – I came with his endorsement!”

He continued: “I want to be happy, I did not come to disturb anyone. I know my importance to the team, my role on the pitch. I beg you to stop.

“I’m not angry, I’m not p***** off. I came with my own will, to say what I think.

“I do not like rumours. What I talk about is the nuisance of people who think they know everything but don’t. So it’s easier for you to hear it from my mouth.”

Neymar and Emery have spoken twice at length, once recently and before the international break, and they are both aware of each other’s position.

Neymar knows Emery will treat him as the star that he is, that he will be patient while he goes trough the necessary adaptation, but that he will make demands to him that go against his intuition -where Neymar wants to take over the team, leading it doing often far too much, the coach has to put limits to his influence to get the best out of him.

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On the other hand, Emery is aware that when someone comes to be the number one and has shown to be able to do so in the past, has to be treated differently and carefully. More importantly, Neymar is going through the adaptation process that will eventually make him enjoy life and football in Paris.

I am convinced that, in the last few days, Neymar has contacted Emery, who has the backing of the board at the club to stay at least till the end of the season, to tell him in similar words what he told the international media in the last few days. It was what was required and what Neymar felt he needed to do. He has nothing against Emery.

The campaign against Neymar is being carried out predominantly by one player in particular, no names, no pack drill, but he knows who he is, as he is not wanted around for many reasons. And he is using the fact that the club have decided to keep him to do wrong, and to do damage.

A couple of papers who have had it in for Emery from day one are embracing all the information that comes from that player. The Spanish coach has not been welcomed as “one of us” by that powerful section of the media, and he is now paying the price.

It is very easy to dislike/envy Neymar, not least if you are a former top professional on the slide, or an honest, hard-working player well aware of the fact that the man you are playing against just happens to be earning more in a week that you probably are in a year. I repeat, that is is hardly Neymar’s fault.

Similarly some of the showboating and outrageous skills he performs on the pitch have been interpreted by many as attempts to humiliate his opponents. I don’t believe that for a minute. I prefer to see them as a demonstration of his genius and have always held the belief that it is moments such as these that show us why we love this game so much and that persuade the fans it is worth spending some of their hard earned money to witness such brilliance at first hand.

Football needs people like Neymar. But actually not as much as Neymar needs football. This witch hunt should stop, and stop now. But there are powerful forces that are trying to make the club unstable, both inside and outside – clearly there is at least one top manager who is trying to place himself in the reckoning in an ugly display of flirting that should really upset the fans of the club he manages.

In the next blog for Yahoo, I will give you more details on how the coaching staff and the club are trying to deal with all the pressure at the Parc des Princes.