Neymar shocked the football world when he made a record-breaking £200m transfer from Barcelona to PSG in 2017, and now the Brazilian has revealed exactly why he did it.
Even though the public believed it Neymar left Barcelona move out Lionel Messishadow, trying to become the best player in the world and potentially win Golden BallThe 32-year-old equaled the record.
In the new podcast of Brazilian legend Romario, Neymar emphasized that playing against his compatriots in the French capital had the greatest influence on his decision, even though Paulinho, Philippe Coutinho and Rafinha were at Camp Nou.
Neymar wanted to play with more Brazilians at PSG
“I didn’t leave Barcelona to be the best in the world PSG” – said Neymar. “Messi asked: ‘Why are you leaving? Do you want to be the best player in the world? I can make you the best player in the world. I told him, “No, it’s not like that, it’s personal.”
“Of course, financially it was better than in Barcelona, but there were also Brazilians there. I just wanted to play with the Brazilians. There was Thiago Silva, Dani Alves, who had just signed, Marquinhos, Lucas Moura. They were all my friends. “
After arriving at PSG, Neymar made contact with Kylian Mbappe for the first time. The pair’s relationship was strained at times, even though they were both fierce competitors who just wanted to win. For Neymar, it ultimately worked against them in the long run.
“Mbappe wasn’t annoying,” Neymar said. “I had my things with me and we had an argument. This was a boy who was crucial at the beginning. I called him “Golden Boy.” I talked to him, played with him, told him he would be one of the best. I always help, I always talked to him.
“When Messi he came, he became a little jealous. He didn’t want to share me with anyone and that’s how fights and behavior changes started…
“What went wrong at PSG? Ego. Ego. I think having an ego is good, thinking you’re the best, but you’ve realized that you shouldn’t play alone. Nowadays, if not everyone helps, you can’t win something… Saudi Arabia surprised me with the possibility of staying in Saudi after the contract expires. We’ll see, because a lot can change in six months.
