"I'd have made 3x more money at Real Madrid" - Neymar names 2 reasons why he rejected blank cheque offer from Los Blancos and joined Barcelona

Neymar Jr. has revealed the two reasons why he rejected a blank cheque offer from Real Madrid to join Barcelona in 2013. The Brazilian legend left Santos to move to the Catalan side for a reported €88 million.

The Selecao superstar is often considered to have reached his peak during his time at Barcelona between 2013 and 2017. He contributed 105 goals and 76 assists in 186 outings across competitions for La Blaugrana. Neymar was also a part of their 2014-15 treble-winning squad and led them to nine titles. Alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, he became a part of one of the greatest attacking trios of all time at the club.

In an appearance on the Podpah podcast, Neymar Jr. claimed that he had an offer from Real Madrid during his transfer to Barcelona. However, he listed two reasons why he chose to join the Catalan side over Los Blancos.

"Madrid’s offer was a blank check, they told me I can have whatever I want... but I wanted Barça with my heart. I’d have made 3x more money at Real Madrid. Florentino always liked me. But Ronaldinho played there and I wanted to play with Messi," he said.

Lionel Messi and Neymar's attacking duo has worked wonders for Barcelona several times during their time together at the club. They shared the pitch 161 times for the Catalan giants, recording 56 joint-goal participations.

In 2017, the Brazilian icon left the Camp Nou to join Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) for a record €222 million transfer fee. In 2021, Messi also left Barca to join the French giants where they played together for two seasons (2021-2023). In the latter year, Messi joined Inter Miami, while Neymar went to the Middle East to play for Al-Hilal. The latter struggled with injuries during his stint with Al Hilal, and recently returned to boyhood club Santos.

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"But then my heart spoke louder" - When Neymar Jr said he does not regret choosing Barcelona over Real Madrid

Neymar against Real Madrid - Source: Getty

In an interview with Brazil legend Romario, Neymar Jr explained that he did not regret choosing Barcelona over Real Madrid back in 2013.

“I don’t regret my choice to pick Barcelona over Real Madrid. I went with my heart there. I obviously wanted to play with Messi! Barca was the team I loved. I always watched, since the era of Ronaldinho I always said: I want to play there. It happened,” he said.

The Selecao superstar recalled intense days following his transfer to La Blaugrana and added:

“Those were intense days. It was 2 or 3 days where I wasn’t even training, just going from my house to the office to resolve this. It was Madrid’s people calling me from one side & Barca’s people calling me from the other. Both presidents were talking to me. I couldn’t rationalize. I imagined myself playing for both… But then my heart spoke louder. I ended up choosing Barca."

The Santos superstar has faced Los Blancos eight times during his time at Barca. He won four games, and lost three while one ended in a stalemate. He has recorded three goals and five assists against the Spanish giants.