With Neymar Jr finally no longer a Barcelona player, many fans have been wondering why the player chose to leave his old club for Paris Saint-Germain. His transfer to the new club cost a world-record €222million, and it’s not surprising.

Now, that’s a lot of money, so it makes sense for some to believe Neymar Jr agreed to the move due to the money than anything else. Some die-hard Barcelona fans have gone on to call him “MoNeymar” out of anger, while others dub him the ultimate traitor. Still, there must be a huge reason why the player would leave a club that propels his career to new heights.

It’s all about Lionel Messi

Make no mistake, Messi is the king at Barcelona, and as long as he’s there, no one will take that spot. No fan at Barcelona will choose another player over their favorite, which means, every player there are always in his shadow.

Neymar Jr doesn’t want to be in Messi’s shadow anymore, this according to his father, Neymar Sr. Furthermore, he said his son had no intentions of challenging Messi to become the star at Barcelona. He views the Argentinian as his idol, and out of respect; he rather leaves than put up a serious challenge.

The senior Neymar went on to add that his son has proven himself a man. He has shown a lot of respect to Messi, but must now look to the future and go his way.

It’s interesting that Neymar’s father would say his son could play for any club but decided to give his skills to Paris Saint-Germain.

Apparently, Paris Saint-Germain doesn’t guarantee him the Ballon d’Or since it would be easier to gain that title at Barcelona, so it means Neymar is not seeking to be the number one.

The question is, if Paris Saint-Germain is not capable of giving the 25-year-old the ability to become the top player and to have the spotlight to himself, then why sign for Paris Saint-Germain in the first place?

That’s right folks; it’s all about the money.

The player will earn a whopping €30 million per year at Paris Saint-Germain after taxes, which is more than what he earns at Barcelona. He also has the chance of becoming the leading man at that club, the one to get all the allocates should he perform as expected.

What will happen to Barcelona?

The La Liga giant will have to seek a replacement and fast. So far, several players are showing interest, and that includes Eden Hazard from Chelsea. However, the team is still strong, so it doesn’t matter who the club signs, Barcelona should continue to do well.