The inevitable was in motion. Barcelona were limping out of the 2016/17 UEFA Champions League in the first knockout round against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), unless they could produce a mini miracle and score three goals in the dying embers of the game. With more than 96,000 fans on edge at the hallowed Camp Nou, something had to give. Step up, Neymar.

First, an exquisite free kick curled home with a devilish dip to give Barcelona a glimmer of hope. Second, an emphatic spot kick to bring the Blaugrana within touching distance of a sensational turnaround. Third, a perfect cross into the box with virtually the penultimate kick of the game, putting the ball on a platter for Sergi Roberto to slide in and bundle home, completing La Remontada, the greatest recovery in the history of European knockout football. PSG were shell-shocked, their campaign dismantled inside eight incredible minutes — the impossible realised by the talismanic brilliance of one unflinching Brazilian, one mercurial Neymar.

A Parisian paradox

After that magical night in Barcelona, it seemed destined that Neymar would go on to fulfil his status as the rightful heir to Lionel Messi. And yet, less than five months later, Barca’s star forward was gone, clinching the most expensive transfer in football history to join the very opposition many thought had brought out the best in him — the nouveau riche glamour of PSG.

In his first two full seasons at PSG, Neymar scored 51 goals in all competitions at almost a goal per match, winning five domestic trophies. In spite of excelling in the less-than-stellar domestic league in France, Neymar went missing when his club needed him most, being injured on both the occasions of PSG’s consecutive Champions League exits in 2018 and 2019.

With those in power far from complimentary of Neymar’s presence in Paris — which now guaranteed shenanigans and controversy as much as caviar football — and rising talent Kylian Mbappe increasingly stealing Neymar’s thunder, the dream of leading PSG from the front had dissipated into despair. By the middle of 2019, Neymar was on a new mission, that of reneging on his soloist ambitions and heading back to Barcelona in the summer.

With every single aspect ostensibly in place, the transfer never happened. Barcelona could not satisfy PSG’s demands — despite trying every possible permutation, from a loan and obligatory follow-up buy to player swaps to a cash plus player(s) transaction — and come the start of the 2019/20 campaign, Neymar was still a PSG player.

A silver bullet

All seemed quiet on the Neymar transfer front, until late March when reports from France and Spain claimed that Barcelona have been planning a coup d'état to snatch Neymar away from under PSG’s noses.

The story goes that the Spanish champions are looking to trigger a clause in Article 17 of FIFA’s regulations to sign Neymar by default. According to the stipulations — put in place at the behest of the European Commission in 2001 — a player can leave their contract “without cause” once a three-year protection period with their current club comes to an end. If such a climax were to be reached, FIFA would decide how much Barcelona must pay PSG to finalise Neymar’s switch, which would not be a traditional transfer.

However, notwithstanding the scandalously seductive situation, this is unlikely to happen. PSG are believed to be open to restarting negotiations in the good old way of up-front discussions at the end of the season (whenever that is due to Covid-19), and are expected to command a similar price to what Barcelona would be asked by FIFA (should things go the rocky way), somewhere to the tune of 150 to 160 million Euros. Moreover, with Barca struggling to balance their books, the legal turmoil that is bound to follow a rarefied cheap shot in the form of Article 17 (only a handful of players have been effectively signed through this route before) is unlikely to excite anyone, even a beleaguered president in Josep Bartomeu who is desperate to restore his credibility by getting Neymar back.

What, then, is likely to transpire? The answer, as before in this capricious tale, is anybody’s guess. For all we know, Neymar could very well remain at PSG, in an alteration of heart not beyond the realms of possibility for a man whose motivations can change directions faster than his feet. Or he could jump ship again to make what will be the most anticipated comeback in Barcelona’s history, culminating a roller-coaster saga that is likely to be more memorable than whatever exploits await Neymar on his return.