Neymar targets ‘lots of trophies’
PARIS — Brazil superstar Neymar received a hero’s welcome from the Paris SaintGermain faithful on Saturday as he vowed to win “lots of trophies” following his worldrecord transfer.
The 25-year-old was presented to fans at the club’s Parc des Princes stadium ahead of a 2-0 victory over Amiens in its opening Ligue 1 match of the new campaign.
“Thank you! I’m very happy, I’m delighted to be here for this new challenge,” said Neymar as fireworks went off around him and fans chanted his name.
“I want to win lots of trophies with you and I need your support to win these trophies,” added the former Barcelona and Santos star.
“Paris is magic!” he said in French before calling out the club’s motto: “Ici, c’est Paris! (Here, it’s Paris!).
Hopes the Brazil captain would make his debut for the club were dashed by red tape as his international transfer certificate wasn’t lodged in time with the French league, meaning he had to watch his new teammates from the stands.
He wasn’t needed as PSG, which was pipped to the Ligue 1 title by Monaco last term, strolled to an easy victory thanks to goals from Uruguayan Edinson Cavani and Argentine Javier Pastore, the latter whose place in the team could come under threat by Neymar.
PSG had already started to recuperate part of Neymar’s $264 million transfer fee on Friday when he was officially unveiled as the most expensive player in history.
The club sold more than 10,000 shirts with his name and No 10 on the back on Friday, bringing in over $1 million.
They also expected to sell another 15,000 shirts on Saturday while a 45,000 sell-out crowd watched the opening game.
And money was the subject of most of the questions fired at the Brazilian when he was unveiled to the media on Friday after arriving in the French capital on a private jet to sign a five-year contract with the Qatari-owned club.
“I want something bigger, a greater challenge,” said Neymar, who is poised to earn around $35 million a year.
Neymar admitted that leaving Barcelona, where he formed part of a lethal attacking trio with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, was not a decision he took lightly.
“It was one of my most difficult decisions. In Barcelona I had adapted well to the city and the team,” he said.
“It was a tense time, thinking about what I should do in my life.”
Alves influenced
His Brazilian PSG teammate Dani Alves, who once played with Neymar at Barcelona, said the new arrival had persuaded him to move to Paris from Juventus this summer.
“Contrary to what people think, it was he who advised me to sign for PSG,” said Alves after Saturday’s game. “It wasn’t me who was telling him to come here.”
Neymar will become the second-highest-paid player in the world — behind Carlos Tevez and his $45 million a year at Shanghai Shenhua but ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo’s $28 million annual salary at Real Madrid.
The transfer fee shattered the previous world record of $127 million set by Manchester United in signing France midfielder Paul Pogba last year from Juventus.
It is an eye-watering sum, but one that PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi insisted will eventually look like a bargain.
“There are not two Neymars in the world. I would love for us to meet in two years and see what his value will be compared to today. At least double,” said Al-Khelaifi.
“I don’t think it’s expensive, I’m convinced we are going to earn more money with him. It’s a project of two brands: we’re associating the Neymar brand and the PSG brand.”
There is skepticism at the role played by PSG’s owners Oryx Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), which purchased the club six years ago, at a time of political crisis for the energy-rich state which has been boycotted by its Gulf neighbors in recent months and will host the 2022 World Cup.
However, on Saturday, Al-Khelaifi was focused more on success on the pitch as he hopes Neymar will help the 47-year-old club win back the league crown and land it its maiden Champions League trophy.
“We have a great star, a great player here with us today,” he said.
“Now we’re going to work hard to win lots of trophies.”