Neymar's father, Neymar Pai, has spoken about his son's transfer from Barcelona to Paris Saint Germain. Neymar joined PSG in the summer of 2017 in a deal worth €222 million, which remains the most expensive transfer in football history to date.

At the time it was thought that Neymar was leaving to escape the shadow of Lionel Messi and make a name for himself at PSG. However, it seems that not everyone accepted Neymar's decision to join PSG and one of them who was against the move was his father.

"The board in 2017 made things difficult. I really wanted my son to stay in Barcelona. Until the last days, we did everything to prevent him from leaving and he left", he said, according to KosovaPress.

Explaining Neymar's decision to join PSG, he stated that the forward did not want to step into Messi's shoes. "He didn't want to put himself in the position of Barcelona's biggest star. And he decided by saying, 'I'm going to my side,'" he added.

Neymar played for PSG for six years before leaving in 2023. During his time at the Parc des Princes, he was linked with a return to Barcelona on numerous occasions.

Neymar is currently part of Al Hilal, although his contract with the Saudi outfit expires at the end of the season.