Neymar would have won Ballon d’Or at Real Madrid, says former agent

Neymar was only one step away from joining Real Madrid before his 2013 move to Barcelona, according to his former agent Wagner Ribeiro, who believes the Brazil forward would have won the Ballon d’Or had he chosen to play at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Neymar’s transfer to Barcelona was one of the most significant deals in world football at the time. However, the move could have taken a very different direction, with both Spanish giants pursuing the exciting Santos forward for several years before he left Brazil.

Ribeiro, who worked closely with Neymar during much of his adolescence and the early part of his professional career, has revealed further details about the intense competition between the clubs in an extended interview with GE Globo.

He said he personally worked to take Neymar to Real Madrid and held direct negotiations with the club’s president, Florentino Perez. According to Ribeiro, Real Madrid had moved into a position of near certainty in the race for the player, with only Santos’ approval required to complete the deal.

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

The former agent admitted that he wanted Neymar to join Real Madrid, but 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.

Neymar ultimately signed for Barcelona and Ribeiro travelled with him to Spain for his presentation as a new member of the Catalan club’s squad. Despite having worked to secure a move to Real Madrid, Ribeiro said his connection with the Spanish club left him feeling uncomfortable during the occasion.

“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 one of the corners,” he said.

Despite his earlier efforts to take Neymar to Real Madrid, Ribeiro does not question the decision the player made. Neymar went on to play alongside Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Xavi and Andres Iniesta at Barcelona and won a number of major honours with the club.

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

Ribeiro also described his involvement in the early discussions that preceded Neymar’s departure from Barcelona, although his role was different on that occasion. 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. One year later, Neymar left for 222 million euros and ended up receiving 40,” Ribeiro said.

The agent added that Neymar’s decision to leave Barcelona was not motivated solely by money. He said the forward wanted a new environment and had been promised that Paris Saint-Germain would build a great team around him.

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

Neymar joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 for a world-record transfer fee of 222 million euros. Ribeiro remains convinced the forward had the ability to claim football’s most prestigious individual award if his career had taken a different path.

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