The 22-year-old says there is no way he would have signed the Premier League side last summer, when he opted for a £50million move to Barcelona.
Manchester City and Barcelona square up on Tuesday night in their Champions League second round first-leg match. Neymar is adamant there was never a chance he would be wearing a pale blue shirt in the Etihad Stadium showdown.
The Brazilian was linked with a big-money move to City from his boyhood club Santos but he has revealed that he was never going to be a Manchester City player.
“It was about joining the right team at the right time. I knew there were other teams interested – but I would not have chosen Manchester City, or anybody else.”
“When I knew of Barcelona’s interest it was an easy choice – they were in my heart right away. We sat down as a family to make the decision – but there was only ever one choice.”
Despite this, he was full of praise for his opponents.
“Manchester City are an exceptional side – with good players in every position.”
“Over the last years they have added the best players every season – and it is no surprise they are in the position that they are now. We will have to be at our best over the two games because they are now one of the best teams in Europe.”
“England is a very physical league – but we can cope with whatever Manchester City throw at us. We never compromise our style of play to counter another teams style. We play the way we think the game should be played – and if we do that well then we are confident.”
