Injury questions: Is Neymar fit enough for MLS move?
Neymar has endured more frustration on the injury front since returning to his homeland, with ACL damage previously leading to the eventual termination of his contract at Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal. The 33-year-old is currently playing through pain in a shock relegation battle.
It remains to be seen whether any lasting damage is suffered, with the ultimate goal being to represent Brazil at next summer’s World Cup finals. A change of scenery at club level may have been taken in by then, with the talented forward preparing to hit free agency.
Commercial value vs sporting sense: Do Neymar numbers add up?
There have been suggestions that David Beckham and Co could look to reform the fabled ‘MSN’ attacking unit in Miami, with Neymar set to be presented with the chance to link up with ex-Barca team-mates Messi and Luis Suarez.
Quizzed on whether such a deal would make as much sense from a sporting perspective as it does a commercial one, ex-USMNT and MLS star Friedel - speaking in association with ToonieBet - told GOAL: “You have to look at it this way in the US. It has been documented recently, with the change in Apple TV, I don’t think that has gone as swimmingly as they had hoped. The subscription amounts, the numbers for that MLS package, aren’t at a level so they are changing, I think they announced, next year. I think they are trying a lot of things to get the notoriety of the league and the viewership up.
“I understand it. What makes leagues tick is the revenue machine of media rights - that’s why the Premier League is such a machine. Right now in the US, it doesn’t cover salary caps. It’s a single entity venture. Let’s say Inter Miami makes money but Houston loses, everyone has to share in the loss around the league.
“If Neymar is fit, then I think it works, I really do because he’s still a huge name in certain parts of the US. The trouble is if he’s not fit and he’s injured a lot, then it becomes a negative media-driven reality. I can understand arguments on both sides for sure.
“I would assume, and these are smart guys, it would be a tiered contract based on performances and being fit. Having spent some time in Miami, before Messi came you wouldn’t have really known that Miami had a team. From the time that he came, there are pink and black shirts everywhere. If Neymar came, it would add to that.
“I can understand what they are trying to do. You have to look at it carefully because it’s a tough one due to his injury record. But he has that special talent that can really excite some American fans. He can do some special things. I would probably be 55 for it and 45 against.”
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Risk and reward: Why Neymar appeals to MLS market
Friedel previously told GOAL of the risks involved in making a play for Neymar: “I think it would be a risk on anyone’s behalf; I think it just depends on how you would structure the contract. You also have to weigh the pros and cons - when you sign legends of the game like Neymar, you also have to take into account the commercial opportunities that go with it, and it coincides nearly every time with the salary and wage packet that you are going to give.
“You are going to make a substantial amount of money off the field when you bring someone like that in. I think there is probably more of a sporting risk than a commercial risk - or equally so if he does get injured. But if he doesn’t get injured, the risk becomes his age and the injuries he has had, and whether he can be that player [they need].
“The plus side is, it is a league that is a step down from where he is playing. Lionel Messi is the greatest of all time, but he can play many more years in MLS. It is a league that will allow players to do that, so I think Inter Miami need to weigh the pros and cons of what they can earn off the field and try to get it correct.
“If they can structure the contract correctly, then it limits the risk. Having Neymar alongside Messi again - I am not sure. We will wait and see, but the league needs to do something commercially.”
MSN reforming: Will Neymar end up at Inter Miami?
Neymar has previously spoken of his desire to work with Messi again, having enjoyed considerable success alongside the Argentine GOAT at Barcelona and during a testing spell in France with PSG.
He has not figured for Brazil since suffering a serious knee injury in October 2023 and may need a fresh start, alongside some familiar faces, in order to recapture peak form and convince Selecao boss Carlo Ancelotti of his worth.