Neymar coming to MLS makes absolutely no sense for either party

Major League Soccer has become incredibly ambitious with its signings over the years, whether it was the move that started it all with David Beckham in Los Angeles or more recently Beckham's Inter Miami bringing in the greatest player of all time, Lionel Messi.

Name recognition is certainly important for the league, especially as it aims to not only survive but eventually take on more attention just as other top leagues around the world do. However, one of the latest rumored stars linked to MLS shouldn't be entertained unless he's willing to take a big discount.

Neymar was once a tremendous talent, and arguably the most interesting player on the planet when he dribbled the ball towards goal. But that was years ago, and the Brazilian hasn't been able to sustain success in quite some time.

Brazil superstar and Al Hilal attacker Neymar is in preliminary talks with three MLS sides, including Chicago Fire FC, over a proposed move, sources told ESPN. https://t.co/6XHQq0bD2q
— ESPN (@espn) January 16, 2025

Various reports have suggested the Chicago Fire and a few other MLS sides have been in talks about bringing Neymar to America, but his demands are simply too much for a player that earned over $100 million in 2024 in Saudi Arabia despite only playing a grand total of 42 minutes.

That's not to say that Neymar couldn't have a career revival in MLS, especially if he plans on trying to help Brazil at the 2026 World Cup in North America, but for everything that the league has done right over its first three decades a move like this could set them back both in the public eye and financially.

L'Equipe has reported that Neymar wants a bigger contract than what MLS gave Messi after joining Inter Miami, and let's face it, the Brazilian isn't on the same level as Messi at this stage of his career.

L'Equipe has added to the Neymar to Fire story, reporting Fire and MLS execs met with Neymar's agent and father, with #cf97 offering a deal similar to Messi's ($20m+ many other incentives), but Neymar's father wants "much more" for him.https://t.co/CmkyLnMygX
— Tim Hotze (@sing_electric) January 16, 2025

Messi is coming off of an MLS MVP campaign and helped lead Inter Miami to the best regular-season record in the league. Not only that but he's proven to be a massive draw in every city that Miami plays in.

Unless the reports are inaccurate or Neymar's team is willing to cave on demands, this feels like a pretty simple decision for MLS; and that would be to pass on the Brazilian.

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