Neymar's dad denies he left Barcelona because of Lionel Messi | OneFootball

Neymar’s father has dismissed claims that his son left Barcelona to escape Lionel Messi’s shadow.

The Brazilian left Camp Nou for Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2017 for a world record €222m fee.

Rumours at the time suggested Neymar’s decision to leave Barça was motivated by the fact he was sick of being overshadowed by the brilliance of Messi and wanted to join a club where he would be considered the main man.

But the 27-year-old’s father and agent says that could not be further from the truth.

“My son did not leave Barça because he felt in the shadow of Messi,” Neymar Snr told Brazilian TV show Grande Círculo.

“When he received a call from the Emir and showed him his interest in having a new star and an ambitious team, we took that into account.”

Neymar’s time in Paris has been dogged by talk he is unhappy and wants to return to Spain at the earliest opportunity, with Real Madrid regularly as touted his most likely destination.

But after PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi insisted over the weekend that their prized asset is not for sale this summer, Neymar’s father gave his take on the Madrid speculation.

“Ney will not go to Real Madrid,” he said.

And that should be the end of that.