Despite being revered at Barcelona now, Neymar came achingly close to joining their eternal rivals Real Madrid. This is according to Florentino Perez, who admitted this whilst speaking to Onda Cero radio station.
The Real Madrid president, who was re-elected until 2021, claims the Brazilian even underwent a medical before choosing the Catalan giants. Sadly for Les Merengues, that move fell apart and he put pen to paper with the Blaugrana in 2013.
The Selecao ace was a highly-sought after player back then. He made a name for himself in Brazil with Santos, where his speed and flare caught the eye of Europe’s biggest clubs.
Real Madrid were one club interested in Neymar. According to Perez, the attacker even passed the medical only for the 12-time Champions League winners to pull out of the race.
Perez said: “Neymar passed a medical with Madrid. We tried for him to come.
“But we saw at one point that it was not possible and we withdrew.”
Neymar moving to Camp Nou was the catalyst behind Gareth Bale’s Santiago Bernabeu arrival. After missing out on the Brazilian, Real Madrid broke the transfer record to sign the Welshman from Tottenham.
Despite Bale’s injury-ravaged season, Perez continues to support the 27-year-old. The club president insisted he is not for sale amid rumors linking him with a Premier League return.
