I’M NOT MOVING FOR THE MONEY!
A day after he signs £596,000-a-week PSG deal, Neymar claims...
AS Neymar Jnr entered the auditorium in Paris Saint-Germain’s Parc de Princes stadium, the most expensive footballer in the world exuded purpose.
As he took to his seat, sharply suited up, barbs and explanations came in equal measure.
As PSG unveiled their £198million superstar, Neymar began by taking aim at those who had suggested he has been lured from Barcelona by Middle-Eastern petro-dollars.
‘Well what I can say to these people is that they don’t know anything about my personal life,’ he bristled. ‘I was never motivated by money. What I think about is my happiness, together with my family, I want us to be happy.
‘I must follow my heart. If I was following the money I would be somewhere else with different teams in different countries. I am really sad to think people think that way.’
After a turbulent week in which he had been accused of betraying Barca, here came a chance for Neymar to offer his own version of events.
After a private jet whisked Neymar from Oporto, where he passed his medical, the Brazilian arrived in Paris yesterday morning. He was accompanied by an entourage of family and friends, who stood at the back of his press conference and applauded him into the room.
Neymar demonstrated some remorse towards his former club and also played down suggestions that this move will liberate him from a role in the shadows of Lionel Messi.
‘It was one of the most difficult decisions I have ever made,’ he insisted. ‘I was at a great club at Barcelona, I loved Barcelona. It is not because I didn’t feel like I wasn’t the big star at Barcelona, and wanted to be the big star here, no. This is not what I am looking for, I am looking for a new challenges, trophies, and this is what PSG want.’
Not everyone will buy the soundbites but the excitement in Paris was at fever pitch. The morning edition of L’Equipe declared that Le Roi (The King) was arriving and this was a coronation fit for football royalty. There was a suave presentation in a suit and tie before the cameramen danced to the samba beat as Neymar produced a showreel of flicks and tricks on the pitch. This afternoon against Amiens, Neymar’s new career will begin and he confirmed that he is in contention to start.
On the surrounding streets, hundreds of Parisians started a party of their own. Children scurried along with ‘Neymar 10’ already inscribed on the back of their replica jerseys.
French President Emmanuel Macron called it ‘very good news’. Sports Minister Laura Flessel called the figures ‘stratospheric — but these are the laws of supply and demand.’ Perhaps the most jaw- dropping statement of the day came from PSG’s president Nasser Al-Khelaifi. The Qatari benefactor explained that before the world record signing of Neymar, he valued his Parisian club at one billion euros. ‘And now it is worth €1.5billion,’ he smirked.
As Paris smiles, the frowns of indignation intensify elsewhere. Senior officials at La Liga have openly accused PSG of financial doping and circumvention of UEFA’s financial fair play rules.
Theo van Seggelen, general secretary of FIFPro (the international players’ association), has called for an investigation and condemned a drift towards dominance of world football by ‘a select group of rich, mostly European-based clubs’.
In a statement, he said: ‘FIFPro is calling on the European Commission to investigate the flow of money via transfer fees within the EU territory to understand their impact on
competitive balance in the region.’ Cynics noted that before Neymar’s press conference, he first attended an interview with Qatar-funded broadcaster BeIn Sports.
For the naysayers, Al-Khelaifi had prepared his put- downs. ‘We have been very transparent,’ he said. ‘Whoever is thinking about financial fair play I tell them please, go have a coffee and don’t worry about us, we are in good hands.
‘Today it is the most expensive that’s true, but in two or three years? When we look at Neymar as a brand with PSG I don’t think it is expensive as I am sure we are going to make more money than we paid — definitely. The world is going to talk about it for a long time.’ Al-Khelaifi showered praise, introducing Neymar as the ‘ best player in the world.’ Penny for the thoughts of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Everyone in the room was aware that the success of this transfer will ultimately be judged upon one thing — PSG’s ambitions to win the Champi- ons League. ‘This is our dream,’ the president said.
Neymar enters this season as the main man for club and country. If he can inspire Champions League success and World Cup glory, AlKhelaifi’s bold proclamations may yet prove prescient.