I’M NOT HERE FOR MONEY
ADAM CRAFTON A £596,000-a-week deal... but cash does not motivate Neymar
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, 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 MiddleEastern petro-dollars.
‘Well what I can say to these people is that they don’t know anything about my personal life,’ he said. ‘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 Porto, where he passed his medical, the Brazilian arrived in Paris yesterday. 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 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. Neymar is the first word on everyone’s lips.
The morning edition of declared that (The King) was arriving and this was a coronation fit for football royalty. There was a suave presentation before Neymar produced flicks and tricks on the pitch.
This afternoon against Amiens, his new career will begin and he confirmed he’s 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 described the figures as ‘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 AlKhelaifi. The Qatari explained that before the 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 accused PsG of financial doping and circumvention of UEFA’s Financial Fair Play Legislation.
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 to understand their impact on competitive balance in the region.’
Cynics noted that before the press conference, Neymar first attended an interview with Qatarfunded 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 go have a coffee and don’t worry about us, we are in good hands.’
Al-Khelaifi showered praise upon Neymar, introducing him as the ‘best player in the world’. A penny for the thought of senors Ronaldo and Messi in spain.
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 Champions 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 for PsG and World Cup glory for Brazil, Al-Khelaifi’s proclamations may yet prove prescient.