Neymar was advised not to leave Barcelona to join Paris Saint-Germain in a world-record deal this summer, by his father.
As per Goal, the 25-year-old completed his €222m move to the French capital this past summer, as he sought a new challenge away from the Nou Camp.
He’s certainly enjoying life at PSG as he’s already scored eight goals and provided seven assists in eight games for the Ligue 1 giants, as they look set to compete on all fronts this season.
However, his father, Neymar Sr, has now revealed that he tried to talk him out of leaving Barcelona, which obviously failed to have the desired effect as Neymar sealed his move anyway.
“I was the one who hesitated until the last moment,” he told TF1’s ‘Telefoot’. “I told him that the best choice was to stay but he wanted to take a risk.
“It was difficult, but Neymar wanted this challenge and we supported him.
“We were all proud when he was presented at PSG. To see Neymar projected onto the Eiffel Tower was incredible. He loves everything here.”
While he goes on to insist that the focus is on collective trophies moving forward rather than individual accolades, there is no denying that ultimately Neymar will have a better chance of winning the Ballon d’Or as the main attraction in his new team.
Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappe will of course ensure that the responsibility and attention is shared, but having now moved out of Lionel Messi’s shadow at Barcelona, Neymar will be better placed to compete for individual honours too.