Neymar Jr., the Brazilian Santos player, spoke about Real Madrid's interest in his services before moving to Barcelona in 2013.
Neymar succeeded in his first period with Santos in attracting the interest of the big European clubs, but he chose to play for Barcelona, which he represented between 2013 and 2017.
Neymar flirts with Barcelona: For the sake of the Catalans, I rejected money
Neymar said, in statements reported by journalist Fabrizio Romano, "Real Madrid's offer was like a blank check, they told me that I could have whatever I wanted, but I wanted to play for Barcelona from the bottom of my heart."
He added: "In Real Madrid, I would have earned three times the money I earned in Barcelona, and Florentino Perez was always impressed by my abilities."
He continued explaining his idea by saying: "Ronaldinho was playing for Barcelona, and I wanted to play with Messi."
Neymar is 33 years old, and is good at playing in the left attacking wing position, and his contract with Santos ends next June.
Neymar played for Barcelona in 186 matches in all competitions, scoring 105 goals, and making 76 goals for his teammates.
Neymar won the Spanish League title twice during his career with Barcelona, and the Champions League title once.