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MADRID: Paris Saint-Germain Neymar’s striker owes more unpaid taxes than anyone on the Spanish authorities’ blacklist with debts of 34. 6 million euros ($40. 5 million), according to an official document published wednesday (September 30).
The Brazilian, who played for Barcelona from 2013 to 2017 before joining the French club for 222 million euros in the highest face play in history, tops the list of thousands of names of the Spanish tax website.
The Spanish press reported last year that the country’s tax government was prosecuting Neymar for tax evasion dating back to his time at Barca, but this is the first time it has been officially confirmed.
The Spanish tax authorities, contacted through AFP, did not specify whether Neymar’s presence on the list was related to his transfer to Barcelona in 2013 from Brazilian Santos.
But he said that to be on the debtors list, Americans had to meet several criteria, adding that the deadline for paying off the debt was not met.
According to media reports, the Spanish tax government is investigating two of Neymar’s movements, his arrival at Camp Nou from Santos in 2013 and his transfer to the French capital four years later.
Barca said the deal 57. 1 million euros, however, according to the Spanish authorities, the club paid 83. 3 million euros for the striker.
In 2016 he signed a new contract with the Catalans that for a progressive bonus but refused to pay him the remaining 26 million euros in add-ons after his march towards the Parc des Princes.
In June, a Spanish court dismissed the striker’s opposition to the club and told him to pay 6. 79 million euros to the team, who claimed he had violated his agreement.
Other footballers, such as former Real Madrid goalkeeper Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar’s former Barca partner Lionel Messi, have spoken to the Spanish tax authorities.
In January 2019, Ronaldo, now on the Italian side of Juventus, received a two-year suspended penalty sentence for tax evasion while in Madrid.
The Portuguese striker agreed to pay 18. 8 million euros in late fines and taxes to resolve the case, according to legal sources.
Messi paid a fine of 2 million euros in 2016 in his own tax dispute and received a suspended penalty sentence of 21 months.