Neymar was one Santos approval away from Real Madrid move, says former agent

Wagner Ribeiro, Neymar’s former agent, says the Brazilian forward was “one condition” away from joining Real Madrid in 2013 and believes he would have won the Ballon d’Or had he moved to the Santiago Bernabeu.

Neymar eventually signed for Barcelona in one of the biggest transfers in world football that year, but Ribeiro has revealed that the teenager came close to taking a very different path before leaving Santos.

The Brazilian attacker was regarded as one of the leading emerging talents in South American football, and both Barcelona and Real Madrid had followed him for several years. Their pursuit involved repeated contact, trips, negotiations and offers before Neymar finally moved to the Catalan club.

Ribeiro, who worked with Neymar through much of his adolescence and the early stages of his professional career, said he personally tried to arrange a move to Real Madrid. Speaking in an extended interview with GE Globo, he said he negotiated directly with club president Florentino Perez and believed the Spanish giants were close to completing the deal.

“Everything was agreed with Florentino, and Real Madrid’s lawyers were in Sao Paulo. We were only missing one condition: Santos’ approval,” Ribeiro said.

He admitted that he wanted Neymar to choose Real Madrid, although he stressed that the final decision always belonged to the player.

“I wanted him to go to Real Madrid, of course I wanted that. Because of everything. But the agent does not decide, the player does,” he said.

Ribeiro also travelled with Neymar to Barcelona for the player’s official presentation. Despite having worked to take him to Real Madrid, he described feeling isolated during the event.

“When I travelled on the same plane as Neymar to Barcelona for his presentation, they seated me as if I were an outsider. I did not take part in the celebration; I stayed in a corner,” Ribeiro said.

Even so, Ribeiro does not regret the decision Neymar made. The forward went on to play alongside Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Xavi and Andres Iniesta at Barcelona, winning major honours during his time at the club.

“He played a lot alongside Suarez, Messi, Xavi and Iniesta… there were only the biggest stars there. He won everything. There is no regret,” Ribeiro added.

Paris Saint-Germain move

Ribeiro also revealed that he was involved in early discussions over Neymar’s eventual departure from Barcelona, although his role had changed by then.

He said he met Neymar, the player’s father and Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi in Ibiza to discuss a possible move to the French club.

“Nasser was offering him 25 million euros and we asked for 40. When Neymar’s father allowed it to be leaked that Paris Saint-Germain were paying 25 in Paris, Barcelona improved the offer and gave him 26. A year later, Neymar left for 222 million euros and ended up receiving 40,” Ribeiro said.

The agent insisted that Neymar’s decision to leave Barcelona was not motivated solely by money. According to Ribeiro, the player was seeking a fresh challenge and had been promised that Paris Saint-Germain would build a strong team around him.

“Neymar wanted a change of atmosphere and had a promise that Paris Saint-Germain would build a great team,” he said.

Neymar completed his move to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 for a world-record fee of €222m. Ribeiro remains convinced that the Brazilian had the ability to win football’s most prestigious individual award, but believes a move to Real Madrid would have made that achievement more likely.

“If Neymar had played for Real Madrid, he would have won the Ballon d’Or. I have no doubt,” he said.