'I spoke to Bartomeu in a normal fashion' - Neymar offers olive branch to Barca president

Peter Staunton

'I spoke to Bartomeu in a normal fashion' - Neymar offers olive branch to Barca president image

Paris Saint-Germain striker Neymar has revealed he held a "normal" conversation with Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu, the first contact between the pair since he left Camp Nou. 

The world-record transfer that brought the Brazilian to Parc des Princes was surrounded by reports of a falling out with the Catalan supremo. 

Neymar 11/1 to be CL top scorer

Bartomeu had stated after the deal was done that the club had "trusted too much" in Neymar and his father, words that Neymar slammed as a "joke" on social media

But speaking at the Best FIFA Football Awards in London, the PSG man offered an olive branch to his adversary. 

"I spoke to Bartomeu in a normal fashion," he explained to Radio Marca after making the top three in the Best Men's Player category, alongside Lionel Messi and eventual winner Cristiano Ronaldo. 

Neymar also commented on his friendship with Messi, and stated that the pair avoided the subject of football as they caught up in London. 

"We didn't speak about football, only other things," he revealed. 

"He is my friend and wherever we are, we will be together." 

Both Messi and Neymar were left watching as Ronaldo reclaimed the trophy he won in 2016, and the Brazilian believes that Real Madrid's Champions League win played a large part in that. 

"Yeah, it weighs a lot, of course, the Champions League," he added to reporters after the ceremony.

"I congratulate him, he deserves this, he has done a lot in football, he is a very respected guy and with Messi he is one of the two stars of world football, and I am very, very happy to be in the final three."

 

Peter Staunton

Peter Staunton Photo

Peter Staunton is Goal’s Chief Correspondent, responsible for news, analysis and interviews from all angles of the game, primarily covering the big stories in the Premier League and Champions League. He has been part of the Goal team since 2008 and has been to multiple World Cups, European Championships and Champions League finals as well as interviewing some of the game’s biggest names, including Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and Pele. He has appeared as a guest and analyst on outlets such as BBC Radio 5 Live, the Totally Football Show, CNN, TalkSPORT and RT.