"I always follow my heart" - Neymar opens up on snubbing Real Madrid in favor of Barcelona transfer

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) superstar Neymar has confirmed that he had offers from both Barcelona and Real Madrid ahead of his departure from Santos in 2013. As per the Brazilian, the decision to ultimately join the Blaugrana was influenced by his lifelong dream of wearing their colors.

Neymar appeared before the court on Tuesday (October 18) to testify in a fraud and corruption trial over his transfer from Santos to Barcelona. At the hearing, the Brazil international was asked to shed light on the other clubs that wanted to sign him in 2013.

The PSG ace confirmed that Real Madrid were in the running for his services until the end, further revealing that his dream of playing for Barca kept him from moving to Madrid. Neymar said (via Barca Universal):

“I knew about the rumors from other clubs but my dream was to sign for Barça and in 2013 I decided to go to Barça and leave Santos. I had options from many clubs but my dream was always to play for Barça since I was a child I wanted to play there and I always follow my heart.”

Neymar added:

“I remember that I had Madrid to go to and I don’t remember others. At the last moment, it was Madrid or Barça but my heart made me go to Barça.”

Neymar spent four seasons at Barcelona between 2013 and 2017, before signing for PSG for a world-record €222 million fee. He featured in 186 games for them in that stretch, recording 105 goals and 76 assists across competitions. Neymar won two La Liga titles, one Champions League, and three Copas del Rey at Barca, amongst other honors.

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Real Madrid president Florentino Perez confirms his club failed in their pursuit to sign former Barcelona player Neymar

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez also briefly arrived in front of the court on Tuesday to shed light on his club’s interest in Neymar. Perez confirmed that his club had lodged a €45 million offer for the player in 2013 but failed to persuade him to join Madrid instead of Barca.

The Real Madrid president testified (via Managing Madrid):

“It was a 45 million offer, as reflected in the summary. We were interested in the player ten years ago. I knew through the Sports Directorate that he wanted to leave Santos. I did not speak to anyone. The players go where they want and Neymar wanted to go to Barcelona and that’s why he went there.”