Chose PSG to writehistory, notmoney:Neymar

Unveiled on Friday, Brazilian says he moved to Paris for bigger challenges; claims his leaving Barca has nothing to do with escaping Messi’s shadow

PARIS:Neymar on Friday insisted that money was not a motivation in deciding to join Paris SaintGermain and said that he would not be burdened by his €222 million price tag.

The Brazilian flew in from Barcelona on a private jet for his official presentation, arriving in a city whose football fortunes he is expected to transform.

At a packed Paris news conference, Neymar found it “really sad” to be asked whether the riches on offer were the reason for his decision to swap one of football’s most illustrious teams — Barcelona has won every major honour multiple times — for a club yet to win the biggest competitions outside of France.

Below are the excerpts from his first press conference as a PSG player: It is not a burden, I am 69kg and do not have a burden on my back. I feel like any other Brazilian citizen, I have a lot of happiness in me. I thank God for showing me the path to follow to arrive here today. I’m very happy to wear the PSG shirt and represent Brazil. To be really honest, that wouldn’t have changed my approach. It was not easy. I had to think a lot, I had to think what I wanted to do with my life. A lot of people wanted me to talk about it but it’s difficult to communicate when you’re not 100 per cent sure what you want to do.

But as soon as I made up my mind, I started communicating. This is what my heart told me to do. I always ask my heart every day and my heart told me: ‘Go to PSG’.

AP AFP A for Neymar Anticipating the demand was well stocked. jerseys, the store Early buyers outside the Princes where Parc des he was unveiled. PSG fans make a beeline outside a club store to be the first ones to don the Brazilian’s jersey.