Neymar transfer – PSG star says ‘I’m never motivated by money’ after he agrees £500k-a-week wages as part of £198m move from Barcelona
NEYMAR has been unveiled in Paris after completing his world record £198million move to PSG.
The staggering deal for the Brazilian was announced last night for a world record fee - and he confirmed he wants to play in the Ligue 1 opener tomorrow.
Neymar left his home with some belongings and headed for Barcelona Airport for the short flight to Paris before landing a couple of hours later and taking a tour of the Parc des Princes.
But he admitted he agonised over his decision to leave the Catalan club and said the choice was NOT driven by cash - despite being paid £515,000 a week after tax.
Neymar said: "I was never motivated by money.
"It was one of the most difficult decisions I’ve ever made, I was at a great club at Barcelona, I love Barcelona, I have great friends at the club.
"They are fantastic players, it wasn’t easy at all. It was very tense, I had to think, re-think and think again about what I wanted to achieve in my life.
"I’ve left a lot of very good friends behind, but that’s football, things go really fast in football, yhou make friends at every team you play for and that’s everything.
"I’d like to thank my friends at Barcelona but I felt it was the right time to leave and look for something different.
TRANSFER NEWS
"I spoke with the Brazilian players at Paris Saint-Germain and they were my friends. I kind of feel at home already.
"I’m really looking forward to starting practice with my new team-mates, I’m looking forward to playing games, and of course trying to achieve the objectives I want to achieve.
"It’s a question of ambition, [PSG] have a very similar ambition to mine.
"I want something bigger, I want a bigger challenge and my heart made that decision and my heart made me follow this ambition. This is why I’m in front of you today, in order to give my best.
"To help this club, to achieve and win trophies.
"I wanted to come to Paris and this was only linked to me willing to find a new challenge. It’s not because I didn’t feel like a star at Barcelona and I wanted to be the big star, I felt comfortable at Barcelona.
"So this is not what I’m looking for in Paris. I’m looking for something new, trophies, this is what Paris Saint-Germain wants, they deserve it and this is why I came here. This is what motivates me, I want to do my best.
"It’s difficult to describe. Right now we have all the right ingredients to sign. My heart told me to sign for Paris Saint-Germain and I did it.
"Of course the challenge might be similar to last year or bigger than last year. I really want to start, train with my team-mates and be happy at the club."
PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi confirmed the club had paid the £198m fee in full to Barca.
The 25-year-old donned a white t-shirt and a black and white baseball cap and was flanked by his father Neymar Sr, who brokered the deal.
Alongside agent Wagner Ribeiro, the Brazilian has been in the pipeline to join PSG all summer, but last night the Ligue 1 giants confirmed their capture.
PSG's store started selling shirts with "Neymar Jr 10" on the back for £140 each as fans posed with the jerseys.
Meanwhile in Brittany, fans of Ligue 1 club Guingamp were queuing around the block to get tickets for their clash with PSG in the club's second fixture of the season.
He will complete his switch to Parc-des-Princes after the French club activated his release clause of £198m, which has been confirmed as a Guinness World Record.
Neymar has already signed a five-year deal at the club worth a whopping £515,000-a-week.
His father and agent were at his side as he put pen to paper on the contract and made history.
Angry Barcelona fans even burned shirts with his name on the back, as they were so incensed by the switch.
Neymar has allegedly become fed up of playing in the shadow of Lionel Messi at Barcelona and wants to make a tilt for the Ballon d'Or in his own right.
In an emotional post on Instagram, Neymar explained why he wanted to make the move.
He said: "I am sure I will never see another one like him while I'm alive. Leo Messi became my friend on and off the pitch. It was an honour to play with you.
"I made a trio with Messi and Suarez that made history, conquered everything an athlete can conquer, lived unforgettable moments, lived in a city that is more than a city, it is a homeland.
"I love Barcelona and Catalonia."
Neymar will be unveiled on this afternoon in the French capital and again before the Ligue 1 clash with Amiens on Saturday.
He said his father, Neymar Sr, wanted him to stay at Barcelona but he will earn £40.7m a year on a five-year deal.
He said: "I have won all that a player can win."
Writing on Instagram, he added: "I have conquered everything an athlete can conquer. I have lived unforgettable moments. But a player [me] needs challenges.
"And for the second time in my life, I'll contradict my father."
He told PSG's club website: "I am extremely happy to join Paris Saint-Germain. Since I arrived in Europe, the club has always been one of the most competitive and most ambitious.
Neymar: Who is the Brazilian star worth £198MILLION
- Born on February 5, 1992 in Mogi das Cruzes, Sao Paulo
- Joined local side Portugesa Santista as a seven-year-old, before mocing to Santos at 11
- Made his senior debut for Santos at just 17, scoring 14 goals in total his first season
- At age 18 he led Santos to the Brazilian title and came third in the South American Footballer of the Year award
- Won man of the match in the 2011 Copa Libertadores final, as Santos beat Penarol - it was the Brazilian club's first time winning the competition since Pele was playing 1963
- Eventually left Santos in 2013 after winning three Brazilian titles and scoring 136 goals in 225 matches - all before 21
- Moved to Barcelona in 2013, with Barca president Josep Bartomeu charged with tax fraud after it was revealed he had paid the star's parents €40million
- In five years at the club has helped Barcelona win two La Liga titles, the Copa del Rey three times, the Club World Cup and the Champions League in 2015
- Has scored 105 goals in 186 matches for Barca, adding 59 assists in that time
- Fast-tracked into the Brazil national team at just 18, he already has 52 goals in 77 caps - fourth on the all-time list.
- Has been the Selecao's permanent captain since 2015
"And the biggest challenge, what most motivated me to join my new teammates is to help the club to conquer the titles that their fans want.
"Paris Saint-Germain’s ambition attracted me to the club, along with the passion and the energy this brings. I played 4 seasons in Europe and I feel ready to take the challenge.
"From today, I will do everything I can to help my new team-mates, to open up new horizons for my club and to bring happiness to its millions of supporters around the world."
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