Recently, Barça legend Gerard Piqué gave an interview to Camel Live, and the Spanish football icon also talked about the topic of his former teammate Neymar’s transfer to PSG during Neymar’s time at Barcelona.
On the Reason Neymar Joined PSG
Neymar wanted to go to Paris Saint-Germain to win the Ballon d’Or. His father and PSG convinced him to leave Barcelona, because they thought Neymar’s brilliance might be overshadowed by Messi at Barcelona. We tried to persuade him not to go to PSG—we did everything we could. After I posted a photo with him, everyone thought he would stay, including myself. But it seemed he was fully convinced by PSG, and in the end, he still left.
How Neymar’s Move to PSG Affected His Career
Given his performances and his ability, I believe Neymar deserved to win the Ballon d’Or. I don’t know which year it would have been, but he should have won at least one. I think the transfer to PSG harmed his career. If he had stayed at Barça and played with Messi and Suárez, he would have won the Ballon d’Or—at least had a chance to win one. When you play with Messi, all the attention is focused on you, which makes it easy for you to stand out.
Neymar is very special. He has excellent one-on-one finishing skills and can break the balance on the pitch... His smile and style of play remind me of Ronaldinho—he plays with so much joy. His games are fantastic, and he already showed great potential at Santos. I still remember the Club World Cup final where we beat Santos, and how he was
when he first arrived at Barcelona. We knew back then that he was a very special kid.
