Paris St. Germain has unveiled Neymar Jnr at Parc des Prince following a world record €222m move from Barcelona to the French capital.
The Brazilian forward who was introduced by PSG Chairman and CEO Nasser Al-Khelaifi, was unveiled during a live press conference this afternoon.
‘I am very, very happy,’ Neymar said. ‘I cannot describe what I am feeling in my heart right now. I am here to help the team to win as many titles as possible. I have come to take on a new challenge and to win titles. I have friends here in Paris and I already feel at home here. I was very happy during my four years in Barcelona. I am not sad, I won lots of titles.’
‘I have never been motivated by money. It is not my primary concern. I always follow my heart. To be the most expensive player in the world does not concern me or weigh me down,” he said. “I am still the same weight as always, I have nothing on my back. I am ready to get started. I have seen Parc des Princes and I am itching to pull on my new shirt and play,’ he concluded.
The PSG Chairman on Neymar said: ‘I am very happy to present our big star, an idol to the whole world,’ he said. ‘We have always wanted Neymar. He is the best player in the world and now he is ours. We want to win the Champions League but other titles as well. We are here to write the club’s history.’
Addressing rumours that PSG went after Neymar in response to Barcelona’s pursuit of their key midfielder Marco Verratti earlier in the summer Al-Khelaifi said: ‘We did not buy Neymar because Barcelona wanted Marco. We simply wanted the best player in the world.’
He added that: “Before Neymar, PSG were worth €1 billion. With Neymar, we are now worth €1.5bn. It is a transfer that has cost a lot today but that will surely not be the case in two years’ time.,’ he said.
Neymar hopes to make his competitive debut in the Ligue 1 on Saturday against Amiens. He however acknowledges that is a decision to be made by the coach.