Dani Alves reveals Neymar persuaded him to join Paris Saint-Germain - a month prior to own world-record move
Brazilian superstar Neymar listens during a press conference at the Parc des Princes stadium
Dani Alves has revealed that it was Neymar who persuaded him to reject Manchester City for Paris Saint-Germain, weeks before the forward’s world-record move from Barcelona went ahead.
The 34-year-old left Juventus on a free this summer and expressed an interest in reuniting with former boss Pep Guardiola at City before ending up at the Parc des Princes instead, after PSG offered him £230,000-a-week – double what City were offering.
Alves joined on 12th July, nearly a month before Neymar’s £200m move was confirmed, and he admitted it was his Brazilian teammate who was one of the deciding factors – thus suggesting the 25-year-old’s move had been in the pipeline for a while.
“I talked to him about the possibility [that he would join PSG]," said Alves.
“He recommended me to come here. He suggested that I came to the club. I said I wanted to leave Juventus, and he was thinking of coming here.
“I consulted my family. To go to Juventus I didn't consult anyone, and that was hard for my wife. She had already lived here, she likes the city.”
Neymar was forced to sit out of PSG’s opening Ligue 1 game of the season after the paperwork for his transfer was not processed in time, meaning he will have to wait until next week to make his debut.
The Brazilian was introduced to the crowd before the 2-0 weekend win and Alves believes Neymar’s addition will transform PSG into Champions League contenders.
“Neymar coming changes PSG’s position for sure. It’s inevitable that there are expectations. His greatness brings all that.
“There is anticipation because of the football he plays and his will to show it to the world. You take a giant step when you have a player of this level to play against the other teams.
“This team will get a quality leap forward.”
