Neymar Júnior has made statements that have surprised both locals and outsiders. In the podcast "Podpah", the Brazilian international talked about when he had to make the decision to leave for Barça. In 2013, he had to choose between two important proposals: the culer one and the one from Real Madrid, with Florentino at the helm, who went all out to take him to Bernabéu.
Neymar Júnior didn't hold back, revealing that Florentino put a "blank check" on the table for him to go to Real Madrid. "I received an offer from both. From Barça the proposal was this and from Real Madrid it was practically a blank check. Real Madrid said 'put the paper and we'll pay'", the Brazilian released.
The former blaugrana didn't stop there, making it clear that his decision to play for Barça wasn't based on money. "If I had gone to Real Madrid, I would have earned three times more than at Barcelona," Neymar Júnior pointed out.
Finally, he concluded: "I always liked Florentino and he talked to me. He wanted me to play for Real Madrid. I ended up listening to my heart. My dream was to play for Barcelona. Ronaldinho, Messi... My dream was to play with Messi. And there I decided to go to Barça."
Neymar Júnior Offers His Return to Barça
Finally, in 2013, Neymar Júnior ended up choosing the offer from Barcelona, leaving Florentino in the lurch and rejected. He didn't move initially for money, something he did in 2017, four years later, when he decided to head to PSG. They multiplied his salary and paid 222 million euros, the price set by his clause, to take him to France.
At the time, he moved for money and regretted it almost instantly. After leaving, Neymar Júnior tried to return multiple times to Barcelona, something he didn't achieve. Despite this, he hasn't thrown in the towel and has once again offered his return to Camp Nou, this time with much more favorable economic conditions.
Neymar Júnior is back at Santos to get in shape, but his contract ends next June 30. He will soon be free and has offered his return to FC Barcelona, earning a very low salary and with the premise that he will be the one to fill Camp Nou. So far, he hasn't received a response, but no one rules anything out...