Why did neymar leave barcelona ? Neymar left Barcelona in order to escape the shadow of Lionel Messi and increase his chances of winning the Ballon d’Or, according to former Blaugrana defender Jeremy Mathieu.

Frenchman Mathieu moved from the Camp Nou to Sporting CP in July and will face his former club in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.

He revealed that Neymar’s £200 million departure to Paris Saint-Germain came as a big shock, per Spanish news agency EFE (via Sport):

“At no moment did people think he was going to leave Barca. But that’s football, it’s like that… it’s his decision.

“My opinion is that he left Barca because he was behind Leo [Messi]. I think he wants to win the Ballon d’Or and at the moment he’s happy in Paris because he’s scoring goals.”

Neymar, 25, has hit the ground running at the Parc des Princes. In five Ligue 1 appearances he has netted four goals and provided four assists, and he also scored and set up another in PSG’s sole Champions League clash so far this season against Celtic, per WhoScored.com.

Messi, meanwhile, has continued his staggering form at Barcelona.

The Catalans lead La Liga by two points from Sevilla after winning all five of their matches at the start of 2017-18.

Their perfect record is, in no small part, thanks to Messi’s incredible return of nine goals and an assist in five appearances—he also netted a double against Juventus in Europe.

Barca are already seven points ahead of rivals Real Madrid, an unexpected turn of events given Ernesto Valverde’s squad was considered too weak before the season started to challenge an impressive Los Blancos group, per AS.

There is still a long way to go, though, and Barca could end up rueing the loss of Neymar when their squad depth is severely tested later in the campaign, especially as replacement Ousmane Dembele is set to be absent through injury until 2018.

Neymar confesses desire to leave PSG due to “feeling better” at Barcelona

Neymar has confirmed he has wanted to leave Paris Saint-Germain to return to Barcelona as he “felt better” at the club.

The Brazilian superstar exited the Camp Nou in the summer of 2017 for a world record transfer fee after PSG triggered his £199million release clause.

Yet two years later, Neymar was attempting to force a return to Barca amid suggestions that he was less than happy in the French capital.

It had been widely suggested that Neymar initially left the Blaugrana in order to step out of the shadow of Lionel Messi before later acknowledging that he had made a mistake.

His 2017 exit had split up the fearsome attacking trio of Neymar, Messi and Luis Suarez while in 2019 he wished to reunite with his former teammates – whom he remained close friends with away from football.

A new documentary titled The Perfect Chaos has now been released on Neymar which details multiple episodes within his career including his desire to return to Barcelona.

Neymar recalls his desire to leave the Parc des Princes in 2019, just two years after arriving at the club, because he felt better at Barca.

The superstar explains in the documentary: “When I made the decision to leave PSG, it wasn’t because of a fan or a club.

“It’s because I saw that I felt better elsewhere.

“I never had anything against the PSG fans, nor against the club itself. It was never that. contrary. I am very grateful.

“Even though I didn’t want to continue, I had to train and be prepared.

“Because if I play badly, everyone will blame me: if we lose I’m the first person responsible, I know the burden and the responsibility I have.”

Barca subsequently spent the entirety of the summer of 2019 positioning themselves publicly that they were hopeful of re-signing the Brazilian superstar.

However, the club’s financial position meant that this was never a realistic possibility, but they wanted to keep forwards Messi and Suarez happy – so they had to send a message that they were trying to conclude a deal.

Unsurprisingly, Barca were not able to comply with Neymar’s wishes for a return and that summer they landed Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid instead after triggering his £98million release clause.

Neymar’s father and agent also confirms his son’s intentions of leaving the French capital, even though he initially advised him against making the move.

“He wanted to leave PSG to go back to Barca,” Neymar Snr explained.

NEYMAR TELLS PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN HE WANTS TO LEAVE THE CLUB THIS SUMMER AS BRAZILIAN PLOTS BARCELONA RETURN – REPORTS

Neymar is reportedly plotting a sensational return to Barcelona after informing Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi that he wants to leave the French capital this summer. The combination of supporters asking him to leave the club in front of his home in May as well as his wish to return to the Spanish giants has reportedly fuelled his desire to leave PSG.

Neymar has told Paris Saint-Germain he wants to leave the club this summer, according to reports.
The forward is eyeing a return to Barcelona, six years after he left the club for the French capital.
French outlet L’Equipe understands the motivation behind his desire to leave PSG is down to the manifestation of supporters asking him to leave the club in front of his home in May.

His wish to return to Barcelona, where he spent four years from 2013 to 2017, is also a factor in his plans to depart Parc des Princes.
L’Equipe also reports that Barcelona are interested in signing the 31-year-old, contrary to reports in Spain that suggest otherwise.
It is understood PSG had planned to let Neymar go this summer despite there being four years left on his £25m-a-year contract but decided to keep him considering the uncertainty surrounding Kylian Mbappe’s future.

Although there is interest from both camps to see Neymar return to Camp Nou, it is difficult to see how a deal could be struck because of Barcelona’s financial issues.

Neymar has scored 118 goals and provided 77 assists in 173 games during a six-year spell at PSG.
He also scored two goals and grabbed an assist against Jeonbuk on his return from injury during pre-season.

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