Neymar Reveals The Reason He Turned Down Real Madrid For Barcelona In 2013
In the summer of 2013, Neymar signed for La Liga side Barcelona from Brazil's Santos FC for around $90 million.
Before Neymar inked a deal with Barcelona, Real Madrid also sought to snap up the Brazilian star. Ultimately, Neymar's decision to move to Camp Nou left a bitter taste in everyone's mouth at the Santiago Bernabeu.
During an appearance on a podcast hosted by Brazil World Cup winner Romario, Neymar revealed the reason why he chose Barcelona over Real Madrid. He said (h/t Fabrizio Romano):
"I don’t regret my choice to pick Barcelona over Real Madrid. I went with my heart there. I obviously wanted to play with Messi! Barca was the team I loved. I always watched, since the era of Ronaldinho I always said: I want to play there. It happened."
- Neymar
Neymar also discussed the period leading up to his signing with Barcelona, during which both rivals competed for his signature.
"Those were intense days. It was 2 or 3 days where I wasn’t even training, just going from my house to the office to resolve this. It was Real Madrid’s people calling me from one side & Barcelona’s people calling me from the other. Both presidents were talking to me. I couldn’t rationalize. I imagined myself playing for both… But then my heart spoke louder. I ended up choosing Barcelona."
- Neymar
During his four seasons with Barcelona, Neymar won the UEFA Champions League, La Liga twice, the Copa del Rey three times, the FIFA Club World Cup, and the Spanish Super Cup. He scored 105 goals across 186 appearances for the club.
He left Barcelona in the summer of 2017 to join Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain. In 2023, he moved to Saudi Pro League team Al Hilal, where he is still currently signed.
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Danny has been covering soccer and the world of professional wrestling since 2021. He has previously worked for outlets such as Wrestling Inc., Sportskeeda, and Flashscore. You can follow him on X at @DannyWol11.