Neymar reportedly “cried” over his transfer to Paris Saint-Germain and “begged” Barcelona not to be sold.
The remarkable claims made by Spanish newspaper Marca paint a very different picture to previous reports of a fallout with the La Liga giants.
There are also claims that it was his father, Neymar Santos Sr, who pushed for the move to Ligue 1, as he liked his son to be “the centre of attention”.
Spanish football analyst Marcos Lopez told Marca: “Days before he informed Lionel Messi that he was leaving Barcelona, he confused Gerard Pique with his ‘Se Queda’ [he’s staying] tweet.
“He told team-mates he preferred to have stayed with them at the Nou Camp.
“Neymar, as witnesses confirm, wept on two occasions when attempting to seal his deal with Paris Saint-Germain, asking [Barca] club president Josep Maria Bartomeu to pull him out of the move.”
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Neymar is reported to have told Barca players and officials to “remember him” and that he “would come back”.
The 25-year-old became the world’s most expensive player when he joined the French giants for £198million in the summer.
Neymar has opened up in an exclusive interview on just what life is like for the world’s most expensive footballer.
In an exclusive interview with Man About Town Magazine for their tenth anniversary edition, the Brazilian striker offered an amazing insight into his life, on and off the pitch.
Much of the interview, with photos shot by Mario Testino, discussed how Neymar deals with the pressures of being a global megastar.
Neymar’s £198m move from Barcelona to PSG was seen by many as a sign that the Beautiful Game had taken a turn for the worst.
And even he admitted the shock value that has now creeped into the game – led by his mammoth transfer fee.
He said: “I do understand. Especially in the world we live in, because it’s an impressive number.
“But nowadays that’s how football is and I keep playing my football.”
