The Nation Newspaper

Tag: neymar

  • Neymar in training bust up with Nelson Semedo

    Neymar in training bust up with Nelson Semedo

     

    Neymar has been involved in a training ground bust-up with a team-mate Nelson Semedo as rumours about his future at Barcelona continue to swirl.

    The Brazil star has been linked with a world record £196m move to Paris Saint-Germain, with Sky Sports News having been told that his chances of leaving Barcelona this summer are 90 per cent.

    He is currently on tour with Barcelona in the United States and scored the only goal in their 1-0 win over Manchester United in the International Champions Cup on Wednesday.

    Barcelona have since moved on to Miami, where the incident involving Neymar took place in the run-up to their clash with Real Madrid on Saturday.

    He is seen running towards team-mate Nelson Semedo and the pair appear to kick one another before Sergio Busquets steps in as peacemaker and separates them.

    Training was halted because of the incident and Neymar is then seen taking off his training bib before storming off the pitch.

    It is understood that Neymar wants to leave Barcelona as he has become increasingly frustrated at “playing second fiddle” to Lionel Messi.

    “Only a miracle will keep him, he really has made up his mind to leave,” a source in Spain close to Neymar told Sky Sports News earlier in the week.

    “At the age of 25, he thinks it’s his time to win the Ballon d’Or,” the source added. “He believes he can be the best player in the world at another big club.”

    Neymar had been due to fly to China after the Real Madrid match but Chinese travel agency Ctrip said that had now been cancelled as he is “busy with transfer business”.

    Ctrip said the event was scheduled for Shanghai on Monday and that anyone who had bought tickets would be refunded.

  • Neymar cleared of tax evasion as PSG tables £450m

    Neymar cleared of tax evasion as PSG tables £450m

     

    Barcelona star Neymar has been cleared of tax evasion charges in his native Brazil, according to his father.

    Neymar Snr said the decision proved there was ‘justice in our country’ and demanded that the 25-year-old player and his family be left in peace.

    The forward was fined £50.7million last year for failing to properly report earnings on his contracts with former club Santos, Barcelona and his sponsorship deals between 2011 and 2014.

    This fine – which included the allegedly unpaid back taxes and interest – was halved on appeal in March this year.

    However, a parallel case concerning the evasion of Brazilian taxes on his 2013 transfer to Barcelona remained open – until now.

    ‘It is with great joy that we received the news of the termination of proceedings regarding the complaint on tax evasion directed by the Federal Public Ministry,’ Neymar Snr said in a statement.

    ‘The proceeding is officially closed, thus it proves the lawfulness of every action we took.

    ‘During four years of unfounded accusations me, my family and our employees suffered a lot and in every possible way. But albeit lots of people doubt, there’s justice in our country.

    ‘Accusation by accusation, one after the other, they were all defeated by our defense, leaving it clear that we did not evade not one penny in taxes.

    ‘Now I hope we can focus only  our jobs, and that I and my family can have the peace we deserve.’

    With this distraction out of the way, Neymar can now concentrate on his future at Barcelona amid serious interest from Paris Saint-Germain in a deal that would shatter the world transfer record.

    Cash-rich PSG would be prepared to pay £196m to trigger the release clause in Neymar’s Barcelona contract and would offer wages of £500,000-a-week over a six-year contract. The deal would cost the French club as much as £450m in total.

  • Neymar spends more than £14,000 on trainers

    Neymar spends more than £14,000 on trainers

     

    Barcelona superstar Neymar has never been scared of splashing the cash but with a £500,000-a-week contract at Paris Saint-Germain on the cards, the Brazilian took his spending to a whole other level on Complex magazine’s Sneaker Shopping series.

    Neymar was invited onto the show to discuss his career, his love of fashion and most importantly his penchant for limited edition sneakers.

    The Brazil international even has his own brand of trainer, the Air Jordan V ‘Neymar’, which was launched in collaboration with Nike and NBA legend Michael Jordan.

    ‘He was incredible when I met him,’ Neymar told Complex. ‘He was a really nice guy, really cool.

    ‘I was taken aback by his hospitality. It was one of the happiest moments of my life. I was shaking when I met him.’

    Neymar will continue his collaboration with Nike and Jordan in the near future and the 25-year-old revealed he already has ideas on a follow up to the Air Jordan Hypervenom II football boots that were released last year.

    ‘The plan is to keep on improving, not just the boots themselves, but its development so I can be more comfortable with a lighter boot,’ he said.

    ‘We’ll carry on talking to improve its appearance.’

    Neymar also revealed he and Barcelona team-mate Lionel Messi have a personal rivalry when it comes to each other’s footwear on the pitch.

    ‘Not with trainers, but with boots – when they’re ugly we play around, have a joke,’ he said.

    After finishing his interview, Neymar took the time to browse the world-famous Flight Club shoe shop in Los Angeles before racking up a whopping $18,623 (£14,242) bill – a new record for the Sneaker Shopping series.

  • Bayern boss labels big spending ‘a sign of weakness’

    Bayern boss labels big spending ‘a sign of weakness’

     

    Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness feels it is an admission of failure for a club to spend big in the transfer market, as Paris Saint-Germain continue to be linked with an extraordinary €222million swoop to sign Neymar from Barcelona.

    The Ligue 1 giants have been heavily tipped to smash the world transfer record by meeting the enormous release clause in the Brazil international’s contract, although Barca defender Gerard Pique suggested, via a Tweet on Sunday, that the 25-year-old has been convinced to remain at Camp Nou.

    Addressing the media upon Bayern’s arrival in Singapore for their next International Champions Cup pre-season fixture against Chelsea, Hoeness took aim at the largesse of some rivals.

    “This is rather a sign of weakness,” he said of the outlays being made across Europe.

    “If I have to spend a lot of money to achieve nothing, it is more of a sign that I have not worked so well before. And that’s why I cannot be so interested.

    “Not the most expensive transfer is the best, but the one who does the most.

    “I think that is why, in this shark basin – €100m, €200m – we must find our own way.”

    Bayern parted with a Bundesliga record fee of €41.5million to capture Corentin Tolisso from Lyon and brought in Niklas Sule from Hoffenheim for a reported €20m.

    But they have also snared potential bargains in the form of Serge Gnabry, a cut-price arrival from Werder Bremen, James Rodriguez, signed on loan from Real Madrid, and free transfer Sebastian Rudy, as the team prepares to try and secure a sixth successive Bundesliga title.

    RB Leipzig sprung a surprise to finish second to Bayern last season, but Hoeness expects a more predictable rival to vie for the championship in 2017-18.

    “Leipzig will play a good season again, but the first challenger will surely be Borussia Dortmund,” he said.

    Bayern were without a sporting director in coach Carlo Ancelotti’s first campaign in charge last term, after failing to replace Matthias Sammer, who stepped down in July 2016.

    According to Hoeness, though, they are now close to making an appointment.

    “We will announce a sporting director within the next six weeks,” he said.

    “I’ve already said that [executive chairman] Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and I have been looking around, and there have been some talks taking place.”

  • Neymar Accepts €222-million PSG Deal

    Neymar Accepts €222-million PSG Deal

    The Brazilian forward, who is rated as one of the best players on the planet, feels isolated and unsettled in Camp Nou

    Neymar is NOW ready to leave Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain in a deal worth €222 million after growing frustrated at Camp Nou.

    The Brazil international only signed a new deal until 2021 back in October of last year and Barcelona stressed earlier on Tuesday that Neymar would “200 per cent” certain stay this summer .

    Neymar is no longer happy at Barcelona, though, as he believes the presence of Lionel Messi will effectively prevent him from having a shot at winning the Ballon d’Or.

    He also feels isolated in the dressing room due to the absence of any close friends in the squad.

    Dani Alves and Neymar

    Messi recently signed a contract renewal that will keep him at Barca until 2021, meaning Neymar will have to settle for a place in the Argentina international’s shadow for the foreseeable future.

    The 25-year-old was also hopeful Barcelona would bring in Lucas Lima from Santos to provide him with a close companion at the club, but they eventually pulled out of a deal for the 27-year-old.

    This further frustrated Neymar as well his father, who would have earned a commission from the transfer and has a meeting scheduled with PSG in Paris later this week.

    The attacker already held talks with PSG in 2016 over a potential transfer, but decided to sign a new deal with Barcelona instead in the end.

    He is ready to go ahead and move to the French capital this time around, however, and PSG are willing to meet his €222m release clause.

    The Ligue 1 giants already secured the services of Dani Alves earlier this transfer window to please Neymar, with the right-back enjoying a close relationship with his compatriot during their time together at Barcelona.

    Neymar would also team up with fellow Brazilians Marquinhos, Thiago Silva and Lucas Moura in Paris.

  • Fernandez: Nobody will pay €222million for Neymar

    Fernandez: Nobody will pay €222million for Neymar

    Barcelona technical secretary Robert Fernandez considers it implausible that any club would pay Neymar’s €222million release clause.

    The Brazil star signed a new five-year contract last June that includes a buy-out clause, which has risen from €200m to €222m and will reach €250m in 12 months’ time.

    Neymar was linked with a move away from Camp Nou before his new deal effectively ended speculation over a possible transfer to either Manchester United or Paris Saint-Germain.

    However, a report in Sport on Monday claimed the 25-year-old is unsettled in Catalonia and would consider leaving in the transfer window.

    Robert, though, does not expect any side to be audacious enough to attempt an offer.

    When asked if he could imagine Barca without Neymar, he told a news conference: “I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

    He added: “It’s not our intention to lose players, certainly not good players. We try to improve within the confines of what is possible.

    “We’ve not had any offers for any players in our squad.”

    Robert added that Barca would like to sign a midfielder who can play in three different roles across the centre of the pitch.

    Ernesto Valverde’s side have been rebuffed in their attempts to negotiate a deal for PSG’s Marco Verratti but Robert made it clear they will not sign a player of anything less than the highest quality, despite their challenging transfer window so far.

    “It’s difficult because we have an amazing team. Whoever comes here has to be a big player,” he said.

    “A player who can play in all three positions would be amazing, because playing in that position means you’re always fighting for game time so the more positions you can play in, the more opportunities you’ll have.”

  • Neymar shows off new hairstyle at charity auction

    Neymar shows off new hairstyle at charity auction

     

    It has been all change off the pitch for Neymar in recent days, with the striker sporting a new hair-do after becoming newly single.

    The Barcelona superstar put in an appearance at a charity auction on Thursday night at the Neymar Jr. Institute in Sao Paulo.

    The auction was in order to raise money for the striker’s eponymous foundation, which aims to help children in need in his home country of Brazil.

    It was there that Neymar unveiled his new, longer hairstyle, which appeared to be more natural than his usual cuts.

    The curly black locks provided a striking contrast to his previous looks, which have included bleached blond efforts and mohicans.

    Among the other stars at the auction was Brazil team mate Dani Alves, whose future remains unclear amid continued interest from Manchester City and Chelsea.

    While at the event, Neymar told reporters that he has split from long term girlfriend, actress Bruna Marquezine.

    He said: ‘I do not like to talk about personal things, but yes, me and Bruna are separated. It’s a decision we have taken.

    ‘It was a decision of both parties. Bruna is a girl I admire a lot and I hope she is happy, not only professionally but in her personal life. Life goes on, because this is a part of it. We end as good friends.’

  • Neymar is world’s most valuable player

    Neymar is world’s most valuable player

     

    Barcelona star Neymar is still someway short of matching the goalscoring feats of team-mates Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi, but the Brazilian has been valued as the world’s most expensive player.

    In a new study by the CIES Football Observatory, the 25-year-old emerges as the most valuable footballer on the planet, ahead of Messi and Tottenham duo Harry Kane and Dele Alli based on certain key criteria.

    ymar is valued at an eye-watering £185million according to the research, based on performance, employer clubs, international status, contract, age, position and marketability.

    A list of the 110 most desirable players in Europe’s top five leagues have been released with each member being valued at a minimum of £40m.

    Alli’s meteoric rise at Spurs and England has resulted in him being the second-most valuable player on the continent, with the findings estimating his worth at £137m, while Kane’s £135m will rise if he is handed the England captaincy permanently.

    At 29 years old, Messi’s prolific returns each season defies the view that his best days are behind him but the CIES studies value him at £134m with him unlikely to leave Barcelona during his peak years.

    Atletico Madrid striker Antoine Griezmann is the fifth-most costly player, at £132m, while Suarez comes in just beneath him at a market value of £124m.

    Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba cost the club a world-record transfer fee last summer, and the France international has been given a value of £118m.

    Gonzalo Higuain (£106m) is eighth on the list while Player of the Year Eden Hazard (£104m) and Paulo Dybala (£102m) are also in the top 10.

    The oldest player to make the list is Cristiano Ronaldo, with the evergreen Real Madrid and Portugal star 11th on the list at a value of £99m.

    The exclusive CIES Football Observatory algorithm is based on the thorough analysis of almost 2,000 paying fee transfers and the variables have led to the Premier League being heavily represented.

  • Neymar teams up with Harumafuji Kōhei in watch launch

    Neymar teams up with Harumafuji Kōhei in watch launch

     

    Neymar is used to pitting his wits against towering opposition defenders but nobody of the enormity of sumo wrestler Harumafuji Kōhei, who attended the launch of his new jewellery range.

    The Brazilian seemed to be enjoying himself as he embraced the Mongolian behemoth who joined him at a press event centred on his new watch.

    The duo were in Gaga Milano Harajuku store in Tokyo and a large crowd was gathered outside taking pictures in the Japanese capital.

    There were promotional black and white posters of the highly marketable Barcelona striker in the background and he was also joined by Gaga Milano president Reuben Tomella.

    Neymar is an ambassador for the brand having originally been a supporter of the luxury boutique.

    On one previous visit to the store he splashed out £140,000 on 14 new watches and has now teamed up to create his own design, a quirky timepiece with oversized numbers on the dial.

    Sumo wrestler Kohei is also a star in his own right and enjoyed the limelight.

    Kohei is a yokozuna, sumo’s highest rank, and only the fifth non-Japanese wrestler to attain such a high status in the sport.

    Like Neymar, he is used to bringing home silverware, having achieved eight top division championships in his career.

    Neymar is clearly enjoying the off-season already and will hope to be lifting more gleaming silverware next season rather than just wearing it on his wrist.

  • Neymar’s sister confirms she’s dating Inter ace Barbosa

    Neymar’s sister confirms she’s dating Inter ace Barbosa

    When Neymar checked his Instagram on Thursday, he probably wasn’t hoping to see his sister Rafaella Beckran kissing his Brazil teammate Gabriel ‘Gabigol’ Barbosa.

    However, that’s exactly what he saw when he checked his younger sister’s account, and that of the Inter forward, as Rafaella Beckran decided to share the little smooch with the world.

    While she went for a more sophisticated black and white filter, Barbosa kept it standard with the colour image as it looks as though they’re enjoying the Barcelona sun with the Brazilian international visiting her in Spain.

    It hasn’t been the best of seasons for ‘Gabigol’, as the 20-year-old has managed to make just eight appearances for the Nerazzurri in all competitions, scoring just one goal, which will be a major disappointment for him as he arrived in Europe to much fanfare.

    In turn, while there’s a question mark over his future in Milan, it appears as though the pieces are falling into place in his personal life as Brazil may well have a new power couple if their respective football and modelling careers reach the heady heights that they hope for.

    The duo Instagram snap was liked by more than 100,000 people on their respective accounts within just a few hours of going up. And the pair could lay claim to being one of the most popular sporting couples on Instagram.