Barca Blaugranes · Sep 1, 2015
The Planet Neymar, Part II: A Trip to Madrid
He is now a Barcelona superstar, but a very young Neymar once made a trip to the club's biggest rival, and his story could have been way different today
When Robinho arrived at Real Madrid in 2005, the club started taking an interest in Neymar. He was thirteen years old. It was no mere coincidence. Arriving in the Spanish capital alongside Robinho was the Brazilian football agent Wagner Ribeiro. He knew Neymar Jr. every bit as well as president Teixeira and the legendary Zito. He'd been introduced to Neymar Sr. by Roberto Antonio dos Santos, aka Betinho, the kid's first coach. A man who'd been investing in Neymar from the time he was twelve.