James Warren
PARIS Saint Germain forward Neymar has topped the list of offenders for the highest taxes owed in Spain according to the Spanish tax office.
The 28-year-old topped the dubious list after accumulating a whopping €34 million in alleged unpaid taxes during his stint playing for Barcelona.
Neymar played for the Catalan giants between 2013 and 2017 before a record move to the Paris side for €222 million.
Specifically, the unpaid tax relates to his transfer from Brazillian side Santos in 2013, then again for his French move in 2017.
On his arrival in Barcelona, the club declared to the tax authorities that the transfer was worth €57.1 million, however after an investigation it was revealed that the actual cost was €86.2 million, the difference being paid to the player’s family.
Neymar then left Barca under a veil of controversy after unpaid bonuses and a €6.79 million court case for the breaking of his contract marred the move.
The young forward recently placed fourth on Forbes’ footballer rich list with a net worth of €105 million and a yearly pay of €81.4 million.
Fellow Forbes nominees Christiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are also no stranger to the tax man.
Just last year, Ronaldo agreed a settlement of €18.8 million to the hacienda for his time at Real Madrid, along with a two-year suspended prison sentence.
Neymar’s Barcelona teammate and Forbes’ number one highest earning footballer, Lionel Messi, also fell foul to the system and agreed to settle for just €2 million and a 21-month jail term.
