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What's the story?
Neymar Santos Sr has come out in defence of his son, Neymar Jr, for recently saying that beating current club Paris Saint-Germain with Barcelona was the best moment of his career.
In case you didn't know...
Neymar, who has been heavily linked with a sensational return to Camp Nou, recently re-ignited the rumours by making comments that appeared to be an effort to annoy his current club, PSG, with whom he has become disillusioned with.
When asked about the best moment in his career, the Brazil international recalled the time when Barcelona beat PSG in the Round of 16 fixture of the 2016-17 edition of the Champions League.
In what may be one of the biggest comebacks in European football, the Catalan giants overturned a four-goal deficit to beat the Ligue 1 powerhouse 6-5 on aggregate.
Neymar was an influential figure for the Catalan giants throughout the game, scoring two goals and setting up another in the final minutes of the clash.
The forward's comments have angered PSG fans who think the 27-year-old was incredibly disrespectful to the club.
The heart of the matter
Neymar Sr has taken to social media to defend his son amid the controversy, stating that the forward meant no disrespect to the club or the athletes who played the Champions League game in 2017.
In a post on Instagram, he said, "Attributing this spontaneous and honest response to a provocation to his current club is a malicious attitude whose sole purpose is to create a controversy where there is not any."
"Many journalists and fans around the world consider this meeting to be one of the most memorable of the player's career."
"My son did not intend any disrespect to PSG or the athletes who played that match in 2017, some of them are now his club-mates."
"From the end of that game to today, he always remembers this match as one of the most important of his career."
What's next?
Neymar himself has responded to the backlash stating that he is no role model but he wishes to act "in the best way possible" for the young people who look up to him. It remains to be seen how the transfer saga will pan out, but a return to Barcelona looks unlikely, with the Catalans having just spent big on Antoine Griezmann.
