Lionel Messi wanted to make Neymar the best player in the world.
In a candid interview with Brazilian national team legend, Romario, on the Romario Onze podcast, Neymar Jr. opened up about the real reasons he left FC Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain in 2017, offering more insight into one of the most talked-about transfers in soccer history.
Neymar, who joined PSG for a world-record fee of over $220 million, clarified that his decision wasn't motivated by a desire to outshine his then-teammate Lionel Messi or claim the title of the best player in the world. “Messi told me: ‘Why are you leaving? Do you want to be the best player in the world? I can make you the best player in the world,’” Neymar recalled. “I told him no. It’s not that. It’s something personal."
While Neymar acknowledged the financial advantages of his move, he emphasized that the primary factor behind his departure was rooted in personal reasons, also referencing the many Brazilian teammates he was to have at the time of his transfer to the Parc des Princes.
“Obviously financially, it was better than what I had at Barcelona… and there were Brazilians there too… I wanted to play with the Brazilians. There was Thiago Silva, Dani Alves just signed, Marquinhos, Lucas Moura. They were all my friends,” Neymar said.
This interview comes amidst the days in which the Al-Hilal forward has been heavily linked with a move to Major League Soccer, with Chicago Fire emerging as a potential destination for a blockbuster transfer in the January window.
Neymar, 32, played in only two competitive matches in 2024 after suffering a year-long injury, excluding him from the Saudi Pro League club’s league campaign roster and steps closer to a move away from the Middle East in 2025.
