Neymar’s father has confirmed that his son did not leave Barcelona because of the possibility of being in Messi’s shadow. Neymar joined Barcelona from Santos in 2013. He went on to make 186 appearances for the Blaugrana, scoring 105 goals and registering 76 assists. The Brazilian formed a very lethal attacking partnership with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez whilst at Barcelona. The Trio scored more than 70% of Barcelona’s goals from the 2014-15 season to the 2016-17 season.
After winning a number of trophies with Barca, Neymar left the club to join PSG on a world-record transfer fee of €222 million. Many seem to think that Neymar went to PSG because he did not want to be in Messi’s shadow.
However, his father doesn’t think so. Neymar’s father said, “My son did not leave Barca because he felt in the shadow of Messi. When he received the call from the Emir [Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani], who showed interest in bringing a new star into an ambitious team, we took notice. ”
Neymar is currently out of action for a while due to a foot injury and will most likely make his return during the twilight of the season in April.