Neymar's father surprised with son's decision to join PSG

Neymar's decision to join Paris Saint-Germain may have come as a shock to Barcelona fans, but the move also took his own father by surprise.

The beloved Brazil icon shattered the world transfer record with a €222-million move to the French capital, a move that left Barcelona scrambling to find a replacement and bolstered PSG's attacking ranks to excess. The "will he, won't he" story dominated headlines in July until it was finally completed on Aug. 3.

That same day, Neymar posted a message to his fans on Instagram, admitting, "For the second time in my life, I'll contradict my father," and asked for his blessing despite the fact that, as his agent, Neymar's father stood to make millions from the move. Still, Neymar Sr. never thought it would happen.

"Neymar's decision to come to Paris took me by surprise," Neymar Sr. told French TV show Telefoot, as quoted by ESPN FC's Mark Rodden. "We had an offer last year but we didn't reach an agreement. This time PSG's offer was very interesting. The idea of winning the Champions League and the league pleased him.

"The truth is that it was me who hesitated until the last moment. I said to Neymar that 'you're relaxed, you're in your comfort zone at Barcelona. So the best choice for you is to stay.' But he wanted to get out of (his comfort zone) and put himself in danger.

"His friends (Lionel) Messi, (Luis) Suarez, (Ivan) Rakitic, and (Gerard) Pique all tried to hold on to him. It was very difficult but Neymar really wanted to come. He wanted this challenge and we supported him."

Neymar Sr. added that his son is enjoying "everything" about life in Paris and added that the 25-year-old has set his gaze on one prize in particular.

"If Neymar is to win the Ballon d'Or, he will win it," Neymar Sr. said. "But I don't think that he absolutely wants it. If he really wanted to win it, he would have stayed at Barcelona because he had everything at this club.

"That's not what motivated him to come to Paris - it was the team. We knew already that - but for a few details - PSG could have already won the Champions League.

"We signed a contract for five years so we have five years to win the Champions League. PSG's project with Neymar is starting at the moment and it's proof that PSG are on the right track."