Paris Saint-Germain sent the footballing world into meltdown when they confirmed the signing of Neymar from Barcelona last week.
The French club smashed the former world record transfer fee of just under £90 million that Manchester United paid for Paul Pogba.
They more than doubled that, triggering Neymar’s near £200 million release clause.
The Brazilian made it clear he wanted to move away from Spain, giving the Catalan club little choice but to accept a huge sum of money.
He is now earning around £500,000-a-week, further sweetening the deal.
Of course, Neymar is not the first Brazilian to play for the French side. In fact, he’s not even the first to join this summer.
He followed Dani Alves to PSG and it’s suggested that the wing-back was a big influence in bringing the 25-year-old to the French capital.
Ronaldinho was another Brazilian who played in Paris for part of his career. The legendary forward began his European career the club, before moving to Barcelona.
Earlier on this summer, he suggested that Neymar should “follow his heart” whilst deciding where he wants to play football this season.
Ultimately, it appears his heart said to join PSG, but that’s a decision Ronaldinho has said he has trouble understanding.
He expressed his doubts over his compatriot’s move, telling Mundo Deportivo, as per the Daily Mail:
“Yes, he was careful, although it is difficult that Neymar’s heart did not tell him that the best place was Barcelona.”
Part of the reason Neymar chose to move away from Spain was to step out of Lionel Messi’s shadow and challenge for the Ballon d’Or.
However, Ronaldinho believes the Argentine is still the best in the world, ahead of current holder Cristiano Ronaldo.
“Cristiano [Ronaldo] and Messi are both great players. But I stay with Leo because he’s my friend.”
Even according to a fellow Brazilian, Neymar may not be able to force his way past the two La Liga stars for quite some time.
But as he’s much younger than both, surely there is no player better equipped to take over the crown once Ronaldo and Messi are retired.