FC barcelona tweeted almost every minute. The arrival of brazil’s soccer wonder neymar made the spanish soccer champion itself a major media event. Yet the 21-year-old’s stressful flying visit lasted less than half a day.
A good five hours after arriving at el prat airport and passing his medical check, neymar was celebrated by some 45,000 fans at the venerable camp nou stadium. "I’m happy to be here, it’s a dream," he said in full barca gear before heading back to brazil a short time later.
For one day, however, his thoughts belonged entirely to his new teammates. The eccentric brazilian knows who is still the undisputed star at FC barcelona. "I’m only here to help, to help (lionel) messi remain the best player in the world," neymar said. "Just thinking about it gives me that butterfly feeling in my stomach," he had said earlier, referring to his new colleagues.
His colleagues are already looking forward to seeing the gifted soccer player, who, unlike them, also likes to sparkle on the outside – including diamond stud earrings and a necklace with gold pendants during his flying visit. "Great footballers always harmonize with each other," said midfield genius andres iniesta. "Messi will make neymar better and vice versa."
And so FC barcelona staged the inaugural visit of the south american alone as an event; 334 media representatives from 15 countries had themselves accredited for the occasion. Finally, according to the club, neymar arrived in his new home country for the first time ever.
After landing at 13.02 o’clock the club published at 13.44 o’clock the first photo on his homepage. At 14.00 o’clock followed in its specially set up liveticker the first welcome video. From 15. 30 clock neymar then underwent the obligatory medical check, photos of the sweating brazilian on the treadmill could not be missing. Barely three hours later, the five-year contract was also signed, the handshake with president sandro rosell perfect. His black cap kept neymar thereby on.
There was not much time. A few hours later, he was already on his way back to brazil, where he was preparing for the confederations cup with the selecao. Just on sunday, neymar had played against england (2-2) at the reopened maracana stadium. However, neymar, for whom barcelona is paying 45 to 50 million euros to his ex-club FC santos and two other holders of the transfer rights according to media reports, was not able to set any highlights in the process.