Neymar reveals why he turned down Real Madrid as a youngster
Martin Macdonald
- 24 Feb 2022 13:15 CST
- 5 min read
Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar has revealed why he turned down the opportunity to sign for Real Madrid as a young man.
The Brazilian has emerged as one of the stars of the game at Barcelona and then Paris Saint-Germain and remains the most expensive player in history, having joined the French giants for €222 million.
Prior to his move to Barcelona, he was strongly linked with Real Madrid. A decade prior, he spent time in Madrid and even got to meet some of the club's famous Galacticos, but he decided against moving to Spain after becoming homesick for Brazil.
"When I was 10 Real Madrid invited me for a try-out. I was thrilled, I was so happy, I watched their practice. It was during the Galacticos era. I watched their game," Neymar said on the Fenomenos podcast.
"I watched a game and I think all the goals were scored by Brazilians. I think two by Ronaldo, one by Robinho and a free-kick from Julio Baptista and another by Roberto Carlos.
"After the game I got a picture with all of them. I was over the moon. I stayed there for a week, for the try-out. It lasted for four of five days. On the fifth day they wanted to take me to a championship being held in Barcelona MIC Cup but I quit. I got really homesick and I wanted to go back home.
“It was pretty much all set up for me to play at Real Madrid but then I got back."
MLS in Neymar's future?
In the same interview, with the Fenomenos podcast, Neymar was asked about his future plans and whether he plans to go back to Santos.
The player revealed a desire to one day play in Major League Soccer - because of their extended holiday.
"I really want to play at Santos again. What I really miss is playing at home, my God, this stadium is wonderful," he said on the Fenomenos podcast.
“I also really want to play in the United States, at least for a season. It's a short championship.
"You have three or four months of vacation."
The commissioner of Major League Soccer subsequently responded, saying the competition does not want Neymar if the Brazilian will treat the move to the United States as a semi-retirement.
“We don't need to bring in a great player at the end of his career because he has decided he wants to take pre-retirement from MLS," commissioner Don Garber told the press on Tuesday.
"If they don't come here to play and contribute meaningfully to our teams and our league, respect the league and its fans, otherwise we don't want them in MLS."
