Why quit a winning team?
Saturday, September 21, 2019

Everyone has their reasons for leaving a job or position. Could be financial, career advancement, desire for a new challenge or personal reasons. 

For Neymar, it was to get out of Messi’s shadow. Two years later, he’s desperate to rejoin his former teammates and, sadly for him, he will have to wait a while before that move happens, if at all. 

I felt the same way when Kevin Durant left the Golden State Warriors, despite the Team losing last season’s finals. He may never attain the same level of success he did with the Warriors and may regret his decision in a couple of years. I feel like sometimes we create our own problems. 

If I were working with a super productive team, I’d stick around and occasionally even chill and let my colleagues do all the work after all I’d still get paid! 

Obviously, we don’t know what goes on behind the scenes and there may or may not have been other grievances but I find it hard to believe that either Neymar or Durant was treated badly or forced out by their respective employers but who knows! 

What I do know is that I wouldn’t quit a winning team. Can you imagine working with Messi or Steph Curry and hanging out with them at events?

How cool is that? Neymar clearly misses his old friends and that’s why he’s been acting up and trying to force a move back but as that didn’t happen, he’s going to have to play at least another season in front of a hostile PSG crowd, boos, jeers and all, unless he fakes another injury but even that won’t save him from the barrage of attacks on social media and elsewhere. I’d advise him not to burn bridges though. 

However bad you want to leave, you have to act professional because for athletes especially, you don’t know with certainty how long your career will last. Teams change ownership and you could suffer a "real” career-ending injury and you want to still be in the club’s good books should that happen. 

That said, I kind of relate to those who feel the need to explore new challenges or want to be the main star. 

If there are many outstanding participants on the team, you may feel undervalued and may have to leave to get your own shine and ultimately, that may be in your best interest as you will get the space to showcase your own abilities. 

The problem is that things may not work out and you may be forced to make a U-turn and when that happens, one of two things may ensue. 

Either your former employer will welcome you back with open arms and things will return to normal just like they were before you left or you’re going to be resented by whoever replaced you, assuming your position wasn’t scrapped! 

If it’s the latter and your services aren’t really needed, you may even be forced to take a pay cut because everybody knows you’re desperate for the job!