Brazilian forward, Neymar Jr, has revealed that he left FC Barcelona during the 2017-2018 season due to the money and the opportunity to play for some of his countrymen.
Neymar’s transfer from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain has been a topic of much speculation over the years. In a recent interview with Brazilian football legend Romario, Neymar said iconic Argentine footballer Lionel Messi tried to stop him from leaving Barca but didn’t listen.
Recall that Neymar established himself as one of the world’s top players during his four-year stint at the Catalan club. He joined the Spanish giants from Brazilian club, Santos FC for $90 million during the 2013-2014 season.
PSG paid almost three times that amount to sign him from Barca in 2017. His sudden announcement to leave for PSG surprised many fans and raised questions regarding his reasons.
“I didn’t leave Barça to become the best player in the world at PSG”, Neymar told Romario. “Messi asked me, ‘Why are you leaving? Do you want to be the best player in the world? I can help you achieve that.’
“However, I explained to him that my reasons were personal. While the financial aspect was certainly appealing, there was also the desire to play alongside fellow Brazilians. At PSG, I had friends like Thiago Silva, Dani Alves, Marquinhos, and Lucas Moura, which was an important factor for me.”
Note that Neymar and Messi met at PSG and played together for two seasons before they joined separate clubs. While Messi continued his iconic football career at MLS club Inter Miami, Neymar struggled to regain fitness at Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal.
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