Why Neymar signing would make sense for the Fire

In a rapidly moving story yesterday, rumors out of Saudi Arabia – which eventually became reports from the United States and France –  have linked the Chicago Fire with Brazilian superstar Neymar Jr., currently of Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, with L’Equipe reporting that Fire and MLS executives have met with Neymar’s representatives offering a deal similar the record-setting contract that brought Lionel Messi to Inter Miami in 2023.

While initial reactions to the possibility of one of the world’s most recognizable athletes to the Fire were understandably skeptical, Chicago is in many ways uniquely positioned to benefit from landing the all-time leading Brazilian goalscorer, even at a salary that would break league records.

Although it is unlikely that the team, or the league, would be willing to match the reported nine-figure salary that Neymar is earning in Saudi Arabia, Fire owner Joe Mansueto has shown a willingness to spend at near-unprecedented levels in the league, paying $60 million to break the team’s lease for its previous stadium in Bridgeview, making them the first team in MLS history to leave a bespoke stadium, investing a $90 million state-of-the-art training facility set to open in the coming weeks, and announcing an intention to privately finance a new stadium, rather than relying on a building subsidized by taxpayers as has often been the case.

The team has also shown a willingness to invest heavily in the squad under his ownership. The team has regularly been one of the highest spenders in MLS since he took control of the team, and he has shown a willingness to spend handsomely on recognizable players, bringing on Xherdan Shaqiri in a deal worth over $30 million in transfer fee and wages over the three-year deal.

Although Neymar’s salary would easily eclipse the investment the team made in Shaqiri, the benefits, both near and long term, likely would as well. As one of a handful of teams that plays in a cavernous NFL venue, the team often leaves a majority of the seats unsold for home games, but in Inter Miami’s first visit after signing Lionel Messi, the team brought in a league-record $9.5 million in revenue off the match.

Neymar’s presence would instantly help the team sell tickets, but would also significantly elevate the stature of a team that has faded from local consciousness. The mere rumor of Neymar’s arrival made the Fire a topic in nightly news broadcasts around Chicago, something the team has struggled to do in recent years as local coverage of the team has waned and as results on the pitch have lagged.

Chicago has often been called the league’s “sleeping giant,” including by the team’s new Head Coach and Director of Football Gregg Berhalter: The city is the largest single-team market in MLS, with Los Angeles and New York each hosting two teams, and is home to a soccer-fluent population that includes large first- and second-generation immigrants from throughout Latin America and Europe who were raised on the sport.

The team is also one of only a handful that plays in a large, NFL-sized stadium and which would therefore stand to benefit most directly from increased ticket sales; uniquely, the Fire are just one of two teams that plays in such a venue that also has an owner who has shown ambition and a willingness to spend alongside Arthur Blank in Atlanta United. Atlanta, however has benefited from being a relatively new team that quickly achieved success, and the MLS team has made much deeper inroads in the smaller market than the Fire have in Chicago, making the Fire the team in the league that stands to benefit the most from the arrival of a superstar of Neymar’s stature.

Regardless of results on the pitch, bringing Neymar to the Fire would all but certainly cause the kind of impact in Chicago’s sports landscape that the arrivals of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Xherdan Shaqiri failed to do, and be the kind of signing that would finally match the Fire to Mansueto’s stated ambitions.

Read More:

https://meninred97.com/rumor-mill-neymar-linked-with-chicago-fire-move/