When Neymar joined Paris Saint-Germain, opinions were split on his main reason to leave Barcelona for the Qatari-owned club.
For some, it was all about money. Neymar is reportedly paid between £500,000 and £600,000 a week by PSG, which is after tax and before any bonuses are included. He also gets to express his considerable talent against weaker opponents in France than those he faced in La Liga. For others, Neymar was leaving Barcelona to move out of Lionel Messi's shadow, to take another step on his way to becoming the best player in the world and to win the Ballon d'Or.
However, the Brazilian doesn't seem too concerned with playing games and proving he's worthy of winning the Ballon d'Or if the latest report about his demands at PSG is to be believed. According to
Yahoo Sports, Neymar wants to pick and choose which games he plays in for the Qatari enterprise.
According to
the report:
- Neymar wants to choose which games he plays in.
- He is unhappy with Unai Emery, who is reluctant to allow him pick and choose which games he features in for PSG.
- Neymar has reportedly voiced his displeasure about his manager, and feels he didn't back him during his dispute with Edinson Cavani.
- According to a "source", "Neymar is really upset with Emery, because of Cavani, style of play, and privileges Neymar wants. He wants to be able to decide when he doesn’t have to play a game."
- PSG are said to have already started the process of identifying replacements for Emery, who appears unlikely to remain as manager beyond the end of the season.
If Neymar was a veteran, with a troubled injury history, then such a demand would be perfectly understandable. However, he's 25, has never had a serious injury or fitness issues, and is about to enter the peak years of his career. Why would a player who wants to be the best in world, and isn't motivated by money, want to miss games? As an aside, the report also notes that Neymar has missed a match around March 11, which is his sister's birthday, for the last three seasons.
It's always worth taking such reports with a pinch of salt, but the noise about Neymar at PSG hasn't been positive. Back in September, following his dispute with Cavani,
reports emerged that the squad were unhappy with Neymar's attitude and the forward's only allies were among the Brazilian contingent.
