With Paris Saint-Germain No. 10 Neymar currently embroiled in a legal battle involving his transfer to FC Barcelona in 2013, it has been revealed in court that then-Blaugrana star Lionel Messi made a big push for the Brazilian's move to Spain to go through.
On Monday, Neymar made his first appearance at a Barcelona court with eight other accused individuals to face fraud and corruption charges related to his 2013 transfer from Brazilian club Santos to the LaLiga outfit.
Read: 'There were lots of lies, I'm not Barca's best-paid after Messi'
According to Reuters, Brazilian investment company DIS owned 40% of the Selecao star's rights when he was at Santos, and the firm alleges that his move to the Camp Nou was incorrectly valued by the player's entourage as well as Barca, which is why they are now pushing for the player to be prosecuted for the deal – they have reportedly requested a jail sentence of five years for the player – and to also be reimbursed properly for their rights.
Spanish prosecutors, however, are said to be seeking a two-year prison sentence for the star, who has been named as a defendant alongside his parents, ex-Barca executives Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu, as well as Santos president Odilio Rodrigues, among others, with it being reported that all nine defendants deny any wrongdoing.
During the court proceedings, it was revealed that it was Messi who was the catalyst in making the transfer happen as he convinced Neymar to choose the Catalan club over their arch-rivals Real Madrid, who were also keen on signing the 30-year-old back then.
"He (Messi) wanted Neymar, he made many proposals and so did Barcelona. Whenever Madrid made an offer, Barcelona covered it," Neymar's former agent Wagner Ribeiro said in a testimony in court, according to Mundo Deportivo.
"Madrid withdrew from the bid after a conversation between Neymar and Messi, which was essential for him to choose the Camp Nou."
Following the transfer, the pair enjoyed a successful four seasons at the Camp Nou together, winning eight trophies, including the 2014/15 UEFA Champions League and two LaLiga titles.
Read: Neymar criticises Real star's Ballon d'Or ranking: 'It's a joke'
The duo were reunited at PSG last year, and during his first press conference as a Les Parisiens player in August 2021, Messi admitted that "Ney played a significant role" in his arrival at the Parc des Princes, per the Daily Mirror.
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WATCH NEYMAR APPEAR IN COURT THIS WEEK OVER 2013 BARCA TRANSFER:
