Neymar reveals how Guardiola tried to lure him to Bayern Munich before Barcelona move | OneFootball

Amid speculation linking him back to Barcelona in the summer, Neymar Jr. has reminisced about his 2013 transfer to the club, revealing details of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich’s desperate attempts to sign him instead.

Speaking on ‘Podpah,’ one of Brazil’s most popular podcasts, Neymar opened up about key moments in his career, including his move to Barça and how Real Madrid tried to hijack the deal.

“Real Madrid’s offer was a blank cheque. They told me I could have whatever I wanted… but my heart was set on Barça,” Neymar admitted, expressing his deep connection to the club.

“At Madrid, I would have earned three times as much. Florentino always liked me. But Ronaldinho had played at Barça, and I wanted to play with Messi,” he added.

Rejecting Guardiola’s Bayern Munich

Continuing, the 33-year-old also revealed that Pep Guardiola had tried to sign him for Bayern Munich, making him one of his first transfer targets.

“I almost went to Bayern… because of Pep Guardiola. After winning the Puskas Award, my father called me at 2 a.m. I picked up, and he told me to open the door… I was in my boxers,” he reminisced.

“It was my father, Pep Guardiola, and a translator! Pep said: ‘I want to sign you and take you with me, no matter which club I go to. I will make you the best player in the world.'”

Neymar rejected Bayern, Madrid to join Barça in 2013. (Photo by Miguel Schincariol/Getty Images)

Elaborating on how Guardiola tried to convince him, Neymar added: “He showed me a document, opened his laptop, and explained where I would play. He also told me, ‘If you don’t score 60 goals in a season, I’ll change my name.’

“I was like… okay, but which team? Pep said he couldn’t tell me. But I convinced him, and he finally admitted: ‘I’m going to Bayern.’”

Despite Guardiola’s offer, Neymar ultimately chose Barça: “In the end, I decided to sign for Barcelona.”

Helping Lionel Messi

During the interview, Neymar also shared a lesser-known story about helping Lionel Messi improve his penalty technique.

“I helped Messi take penalties! We were in training, he asked me… How do you take penalties like that? I was like: Are you crazy? You’re Messi if I can do it, you can too. Then I taught him and he trained,” he revealed.

He also addressed his recent spectacular ‘Olympico’ goal (direct from a corner) for Santos, confirming that it was no accident.

“I can confirm that the goal was intentional. I was thinking… if I score this, their fans will have to watch it. I scored, turned to them, and said: ‘So, what now?’” Neymar said, laughing.

Source: Mundo Deportivo