Neymar Jr has wanted to clear the doubts and has affirmed with emphatic that his dream always was to play in the Barça. "My heart always wanted to go to Barça," he said. The footballer has declared as a defendant in the trial for the alleged irregularities regarding his transfer from Santos to Barcelona in 2013 and has replied that his dream was always to wear a Barça shirt. The prosecutor and the DIS group accuse the participants of that transfer, the former presidents of Barça and Santos and the Neymar, of corruption between individuals and fraud, considering that the inclusion of the footballer in the free market was violated and the true cost of the operation to avoid paying a larger amount to DIS, which held ownership of 40% of the footballer's rights.
The accusatory thesis maintains that Neymar was not free to decide where he wanted to play due to the agreement he had signed in 2011 with Barça by which he promised to play for Barça in 2014 when his contract with Santos ended and he was forced to reject other proposals, such as that of Real Madrid. “My dream was always to play for Barça. Since I was a child I wanted to play there for the players I had and I always follow my heart. At the last moment, it was Barcelona or Real Madrid, but I wanted to play for Barça," he said.
In just six minutes of declaration, Neymar has also disassociated himself from the operation so that his signing for Barça could bear fruit. “Everything depended on my father, who is the one who takes care of these things. I sign what he tells me”, he underlined in reference to a contract that he signed in November 2011 committing himself to signing with FC Barcelona in exchange for a 40 million bonus. For his part, the player's father and representative, who is also accused in this case, has stated that "Real Madrid made offers to Neymar since 2009. But Neymar, as a child, wanted to play for Barcelona." The father has assured that he always looks for “the most advantageous conditions for his father” and what he signed with Barça was “a priority agreement”.
The Prosecutor's Office asks for 2 years in prison for Neymar and his father, and one year for his mother for corruption between individuals, a crime that does not exist in Brazil. His lawyers maintain that the case should have been investigated by the Brazilian justice since the contracts with FC Barcelona were signed in Sao Paulo. For the former president of Barça, Sandro Rosell, the prosecutor asks for 5 years in prison for corruption between individuals and fraud, and three years for the former president of Santos, Odilio Rodrigues. Bartomeu is only accused by the DIS company and demands 5 years in prison.
The magistrate who presides over the court for the signing of Neymar, and who has given obvious signs of being a football fan, has denied having given the Brazilian star favored treatment by allowing him to be absent from the trial sessions and after yesterday authorized him to go to the hotel to rest after playing a game the night before. “I am sure that Neymar earns in one day what the 32 defendants earn in a year. Of treatment of favor none. Of course we are going to let him return to his activities, playing football, playing against Ajaccio on Friday, or against Troyes on the 29th. Well, yes, and what happens? Here he is not waved, he is treated like another defendant in the same circumstances", he settled. Neymar, at the beginning of his statement, thanked the judge for letting him go to rest. "Yes, I am here at your disposal to speak and thank you (to the judge) for yesterday for understanding that I was very tired”.
