World record signing, Neymar Jr. will miss Paris Saint Germain opening match of the season today as a result of incomplete paperwork by the club.
He will watch the from the stands after his unveiling to the crowd before the kick-off, the AFP reported.
His hopes to play today were dashed when his international transfer certificate failed to be lodged with the French league by the midnight deadline on Friday.
“I am ready to start on Saturday if I can,” he said before falling victim to the constraints of paperwork.
For PSG however, the first day hiccup is not a total disappointment as the French club have already clawed back around a million euros on their world record investment, after selling a staggering 10,000 shirts bearing the Brazilian’s name in just one day. Each shirt was sold for 100 euro.
The 25-year-old superstar, signed from Barcelona for a mind-boggling 222 million euros ($264 million), will be presented to the PSG support prior to his new team’s first game of the Ligue 1 campaign against promoted Amiens.
The ceremony will begin at 3:45pm (1345 GMT) with the kick-off put back quarter of an hour to 5:15pm to allow extra time for the player’s unveiling before an expected sell-out crowd of more than 45,000 at the Parc des Princes.
Money was the subject of most of the questions fired at the Brazilian when he was unveiled to the media on Friday after arriving in the French capital on a private jet.
However, Neymar, who is poised to earn around 30 million euros a year, insisted financial gain was not a factor.
“I want something bigger, a greater challenge. I am here to give my best and help the club win titles,” said Neymar, who signed a five-year contract with the Qatar-owned club.
He insisted he had come to France “for the ambition of the club, which is very similar to mine.”
Neymar admitted that leaving Barcelona, where he formed part of a lethal attacking trio with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, was not a decision he took lightly.
“It was one of my most difficult decisions. In Barcelona I had adapted well to the city and the team. I had friends there and it has not been easy,” he said.
“It was a tense time, thinking about what I should do in my life. I have left behind a lot of friends, but things go very fast in football.”
