The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Paris, France | AFP | After dazzling Rio’s imposing Maracana and Barcelona’s storied Camp Nou, the world’s most expensive footballer Neymar will be welcomed to French football on Sunday at Guingamp’s humble 17,000-capacity Stade du Rouduorou in sleepy Brittany.
With the mundanity of transfer paperwork finally resolved, the 25-year-old Brazilian magician will line up for Paris Saint-Germain for the first time since his mind-boggling 222 million euro ($261 million) move from Barcelona.
“He’s physically ready to play the whole ninety minutes,” PSG coach Unai Emery told AFP.
“He’s been working well and we looked hard at tactics and free-kicks. We all want him in the starting 11, he’s a player we need in the group.”
Even Guingamp coach Antoine Kombouare, himself a former PSG boss, wants Neymar to play despite the potential havoc he could wreak on the home defence.
“I want the fans to come on Sunday to see Guingamp win… preferably against a side with Neymar in it,” he said.
Take one! @NeymarJR named to PSG’s roster for tomorrow’s match vs. @EAGuingamp ! #NeymarJR10 pic.twitter.com/sd6npiiNld
— PSG English (@PSG_English) August 12, 2017
It will be a major culture shock for Neymar in a town which has a population of just 7,000 and is best known for its annual Breton dance showcase, the Saint Loup Festival.
However, that’s not to say that Guingamp do not have football pedigree — former Chelsea and Ivory Coast star Didier Drogba spent a season at the club in 2002/2003.
They were French Cup winners in 2009 and 2014, and last season beat PSG 2-1 in the corresponding league fixture.
“We could have filled a stadium of 40,000 seats with no problem at all,” said Guingamp president Bertrand Desplat, whose club budget is an eighth of what PSG paid for Neymar.
Journalists from far and wide are expected for the game — the ground’s press tribune, built to hold 80 people, has been extended to cater for 350.
A total of 145 stewards will be on duty at the ground — 30 more than usual.
Neymar will simply be glad to put his tax troubles behind him and get back to doing what he does best after his lawyer revealed on Saturday that the Brazilian superstar has agreed to pay a $2.5 million fine for tax evasion in his homeland.
His 2013 transfer to Barca from Sau Paulo’s Santos is also the subject of a Spanish tax fraud investigation.
