Striker claims he left the club in the French capital because he was no longer happy there: ‘The club and the coach no longer counted on me, so I had to make a decision’
opened up about the troubled end of his relationship with . Currently at Saudi Arabia, the Brazilian star believes he was unfairly treated at the French club and says he was saddened by the way he was treated by managers and some of the Parisian team’s fans. “For me there was injustice, because I always gave my all on the field. I have no resentment, but I was a little sad with the way I was treated by the fans, especially when they came to my house, when they wanted to invade my house, insult me or want to hit me. For me, they went beyond the limits”, said Neymar, in an interview with the “Bartoli Time” program, on the French channel RMC Sport.
“Our relationship was no longer respectful, while I always respected them. It was really a complicated situation. I was sad about the way I was treated at the end, but it passed. I don’t have any resentment towards the club, I just have a bit of resentment towards the people who run the club and some of the fans,” he continued. Neymar’s last moments with the PSG shirt were melancholic.
The Brazilian dealt with repeated injuries, began to alternate between the reserve and the starting lineup, and became a frequent target of criticism from fans in protests over eliminations in the Champions League, an obsession of the French club. The 32-year-old striker makes a point of highlighting that it was with him on the field that the team competed for the title in an unprecedented way.
“We cannot forget that we took the club to its first Champions League final. Unfortunately, we didn’t win, but that’s part of football. You can’t always win. PSG had the objective of reaching the final and we did it. Furthermore, the club still has this goal and is fully invested in this pursuit. I would like to have won with PSG because winning a Champions League is like winning a World Cup with your country”, comments Neymar, referring to the defeat in the final of the 2019/20 edition to Bayern Munich, from Germany.
Neymar left PSG to sign with Al-Hilal in August 2023. In October of the same year, he tore the anterior cruciate ligament and the meniscus in his left knee during the Brazilian team’s World Cup qualifying match. The striker had to spend more than 12 months away from the field, only returning in November this year.
Two weeks after returning to play, he felt a problem with his thigh and will only enter the field again in 2025. Despite his few minutes in the Al-Hilal shirt and rumors of a possible return to Brazilian football, Neymar claims to be happy in Saudi Arabia and he has no regrets about leaving Paris for the Middle East.
“I wasn’t happy there at PSG. The club and the coach no longer counted on me. They had already talked about it, so I had to make a decision. And I liked Al Hilal’s offer. I got to know the club, the local culture and the championship. I was very surprised by the reception here and the kindness of the fans. The league is developing, as is our team, and my family and I are confident that we made the right decision.”
Published by Luisa Cardoso
*With information from Estadão Conteúdo
