Brazilian forward Neymar arrived in Paris on Friday (AFP)
Madrid - Neymar will appear at a press conference at the PSG's Parc des Princes stadium at 1:30pm (1130 GMT)
By AFP
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Published: Fri 4 Aug 2017, 2:57 PM
Last updated: Sun 6 Aug 2017, 3:45 PM
Neymar admitted that he chose to leave Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain against the advice of his father on Friday, just before arriving in the French capital.
"A sportsman needs challenges. And for the second time in my life, I am going against the advice of my Dad," the Brazilian wrote in a long post in Spanish on his Instagram account on Thursday night. "Dad, I understand and respect your opinion, but my decision is taken, I ask that you support me as you always have done," he added. Neymar landed in the French capital on Friday following his record transfer from Barcelona. Fans swarmed a PSG outlet on the Champs Elysees to buy shirts with Neymar's name and number on the back as the 25-year-old forward headed for the city centre in a motorcade after arriving in a private jet shortly before 11am (0900 GMT) at Le Bourget airport north-east of Paris. Neymar will appear at a press conference at the PSG's Parc des Princes stadium at 1:30pm (1130 GMT).
He will then be presented to fans at the same ground at around 3:45pm on Saturday before the season-opening Ligue 1 fixture against promoted Amiens. Neymar signed a five-year deal with PSG, in which he is expected to earn 30 million euros ($35.6 million) net per year, on Thursday. He earlier severed his ties with Barcelona after paying the colossal sum of 222 million euros ($264 million) to buyout his contract. That means the transfer is a new world record deal, more than double the previous record of 105 million euros paid by Manchester United to Juventus for Paul Pogba last year. Neymar added that his family "has suffered a lot with problems that have occurred in this period of my career and deserve peace. It is a difficult decision, but one taken with the maturity of my 25 years." The player's assurances could be seen as a way of hitting back at critics furious at his departure from Barcelona. Catalan sports daily Sport on Thursday described the player's entourage as "toxic", blaming them for Neymar's departure. Sport wrote of "the fatal intersection of two diabolical factors: the money of Qatar (which owns PSG via QSI, their sovereign wealth fund) and the monetary and sporting ambition of the Neymars." Neymar's father is extremely close to his son, supervising his career and the negotiation of his contracts.
Good game, we continue to improve day by day ?????? your welcome ney for the block???? pic.twitter.com/vsnpt1Isj9 - Luis Suarez (@LuisSuarez9) July 27, 2017
He has become a celebrity in his own right, even appearing in an advert alongside his son, who had insisted upon arriving at Barcelona that his shirt should carry the name "Neymar Jr". Father and son are set to go on trial in Spain following an investigation into the player's transfer to Barcelona from Brazilian side Santos in 2013. "I have accepted the offer from PSG to try to help the club win the titles the fans want. They presented to me an audacious career plan and I think I am ready for it," added Neymar on Instagram.
Of his four years at the Camp Nou, he added: "I have won everything a sportsman can win. I have experienced unforgettable moments." Football legend Pele congratulated Neymar on his move, telling his successor in the famed Brazilian number 10 shirt: "Good luck for your new challenge". "Paris is a beautiful city and one of my favourites in the world," three-time World Cup-winner Pele wrote on Twitter.
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