"Without a doubt, Neymar will become the next Yang Yang, the next Messi, and the next Ronaldo."
"He's an extraordinary player. I hope he can fulfill his full potential."
That was Pele the King of Football's response at a commercial event in London before Real Madrid departed for China, when reporters asked him about the possibility of Neymar transferring to Real Madrid. He believed Neymar would become a legend.
Not only that, Pele the King of Football also believed that Neymar would need some time to adapt to European football.
"He received offers from many European giants last year, but he chose to remain in Brazil. I think that was the best choice for him. Given Neymar's style of football, the Premier League, Bundesliga, and Serie A would all be somewhat complicated for him, because the marking there is tighter. I think he should go to La Liga. That's the league most suited to him."
The media interpreted Pele's remarks as a hint that Neymar would move to a La Liga giant.
In La Liga, Real Madrid and Barcelona were undoubtedly the clubs most interested in Neymar. They were also the only two clubs capable of winning his favor. Both had been pursuing Neymar for several years.
Thus, when Pele's remarks spread, they immediately caused an uproar in the media worldwide. Combined with all the rumors from before, everyone became convinced that Neymar's transfer to Real Madrid was a done deal.
After initially reading the domestic and foreign media reports, Yang Yang had also felt that Neymar might become his new teammate. But when he traveled south from Beijing to Guangzhou to meet up with the team, he immediately received accurate inside information from his teammates.
Neymar's transfer had fallen through!
"What happened? Didn't we already reach an agreement