THIS footballer turned down €100 million because of Messi's influence

Former Barcelona scout Andre Cury revealed that Real Madrid offered Neymar over €100 million tax-free, but the Brazilian star decided to join Barcelona instead for appeal that Messi created.

Neymar had the chance to sign with Real Madrid before moving to Barcelona in 2013, but he chose the Catalan club despite a massive offer.

Andre Cury, who played a key role in Neymar’s transfer, stated that the forward initially earned a lower salary at Barcelona but eventually became one of the club’s top three earners.

He expressed pride in securing Neymar’s signing, explaining that Lionel Messi and Barcelona’s appeal helped convince the Brazilian star to reject Real Madrid’s offer.

Neymar later moved to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in 2017 after the French club triggered his €222 million release clause. This remains the highest transfer fee in football history.

In a 2022 interview, Neymar confirmed that Real Madrid had shown interest in him when he was just 10 years old.

Read More: Messi out injured as Argentina seek to seal World Cup place

He had a trial with the Spanish giants and was impressed by their legendary squad at the time, which included Brazilian stars like Ronaldo, Robinho, Julio Baptista, and Roberto Carlos.

However, despite spending a week training with Real Madrid, Neymar decided to return home due to homesickness.

Now, Neymar is reportedly looking to return to Barcelona after his contract with Santos expires in the summer. Talks have taken place, but Barcelona has not yet made a final decision on bringing Neymar back to the club.

In other football related news, Lionel Messi will miss Argentina’s World Cup qualifiers this month after suffering a groin strain in Inter Miami’s victory over Atlanta at the weekend, his club confirmed.

Messi was left out of Argentina’s squad for the world champions’ clash against Uruguay on Friday, which is followed by a showdown with Brazil on March 25.

Inter Miami said in a statement that a scan had revealed Messi suffered a “low-grade injury in the adductor muscle” in the 2-1 win on Sunday. The statement gave no timetable for Messi’s return.

“His clinical progress and response to treatment will determine his availability for competition,” Inter said.

After missing three games for Inter earlier this month, the 37-year-old returned with a goal off the bench in a CONCACAF Champions Cup win.

Argentina, the defending World Cup champions, can ensure qualification for next year’s tournament in their next two games.

They lead the 10-team South American qualifying group by five points ahead of the game with Uruguay in Montevideo.