Brazilian star Neymar has revealed that his admiration for Ronaldinho and his desire to play alongside Lionel Messi were the key reasons he chose Barcelona over Real Madrid earlier in his career.
The Santos forward admitted that Real Madrid presented him with a lucrative proposal, even offering him the freedom to decide his own salary. Despite the financial incentive, Neymar said his heart was always set on joining Barcelona.
Softfootball gathered that the Brazilian never hesitated once the Catalan club came calling.
Speaking on the Podpah podcast, Neymar explained that footballing ambition outweighed financial considerations at the time.
He said the opportunity to follow in Ronaldinho’s footsteps and share the pitch with Messi was simply too special to ignore;
Real Madrid’s offer was a blank check. But I wanted Barça with my heart.
Neymar said.
The 33-year-old also disclosed that he would have earned significantly more money had he accepted Real Madrid’s proposal. Nevertheless, he remains convinced he made the right choice by joining Barcelona, where he went on to form one of football’s most celebrated attacking trios alongside Messi and Luis Suarez, winning numerous domestic and European titles.
