Neymar unexpectedly joins Barcelona title celebrations

FC Barcelona clinched the 2022-23 La Liga title over the weekend after their victory against Espanyol. Multiple celebrations are to be expected, but fans were surprised to hear reports about the alleged presence of Neymar Junior in one of the parties.

According to various reports coming out of Spain, the Paris Saint-Germain forward flew to Barcelona and was an invited guest when the championship-winning squad went out to a nightclub to celebrate their title on Sunday night.

Neymar plays for the PSG in Ligue 1, but is currently out of commission while recovering from surgery. No photo or video evidence has emerged from the party, but numerous reports are insisting that the Brazilian was present at the nightclub where the Barcelona players decided to celebrate. However, some suggest that he may have just happened to be at the same club.

Neymar has a long history with the club, which has not always been positive. Since leaving in 2017 to join PSG, he has been embroiled in a number of legal issues with Barcelona. Nevertheless, some of his former teammates are still there such as Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Sergi Roberto.

It has to be noted that since Neymar's departure, the rumours about his possible comeback never really died down. The latest reports about his trip to the Catalan capital is perhaps just another side to the long-running saga.

Despite claims that Neymar flew to Barcelona to celebrate with his former team, others have pointed out that he may have flown to the city for a more personal reason. He provided evidence of this himself by revealing on social media that he had been visiting his son, who lives in Barcelona with his mother.

Fans are divided as to whether or not Neymar should have been celebrating with his former team. Even though it has not been proven, he is being criticised as usual for his activities away from the pitch.

Meanwhile, former Barcelona player and current manager Xavi Hernandez had a more muted celebration at a restaurant with the club's technical staff and board, including President Joan Laporta. Xavi is expected to give the players a few days off before they face Real Sociedad at the Camp Nou on Saturday.

Barcelona fans enjoy a parade of champions

Following the private celebrations on Sunday, Barcelona treated their fans to an open-top bus parade on Sunday evening. Culers came out in droves as expected, and some of them even received beers that were being handed out by Xavi himself as the bus crawled through the crowded streets.

The manager was clearly the star of the show, as his return to the club bore fruit in just 18 months. After struggling through a financial crisis and scandal after scandal, the legendary midfielder found a way to revive the squad that was reeling from the departure of Lionel Messi.

He arrived with Barcelona languishing in 9th place in La Liga but finished the 2021-22 season up in second place. This year, he did one better by unseating Real Madrid from the top sport, to the absolute delight of the Barcelona faithful.

They crashed out embarrassingly early on the European stage, but the La Liga title has brought the confidence in Xavi at an all-time high. Culers have also found a new hero in Robert Lewandowski, who arrived from Bayern Munich last summer and has become La Liga's top scorer.

Barcelona receive budget boost

Winning the La Liga title has given Barcelona a much needed financial boost. It is no secret that they have been digging their way out of a mountain of debt over the past couple of years, and winning a major trophy is a very welcome development.

Naturally, sponsors will be more eager to sign lucrative deals with the champions. Apart from that, Diario AS reports that the club will earn an extra €8.93 m from TV rights thanks to their victory. This brings their total TV revenue to about €103 million for the season.

This revenue comes from a percentage of the TV money that La Liga earns per season, with the champions raking in 17 per cent of the pie.

The victory also guarantees a spot in the UEFA Champions League next season, and that will also result in added revenue. They will be grow their earnings even more if they avoid crashing out in the group stage.

La Liga will be keeping a close eye on the club's earnings in order to determine exactly how much room they will have in their budget for the upcoming summer transfer window. Furthermore, it may also affect the return of Lionel Messi, and possibly even Neymar, if rumours are to be believed that he is set to part ways with PSG this summer.