Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar's father has leapt to his son's defence after the world's most expensive player fuelled speculation of a return to FC Barcelona further when he revealed his greatest footballing moment recently.
Neymar, 27, is believed to be keen on reuniting with Lionel Messi at the Camp Nou, and speculation regarding the Selecao star's future intensified after the former Santos star revealed that his greatest footballing moment thus far in his career is the Blaugrana's memorable 6-1 victory over PSG in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie in 2017.
Read: Neymar fuels PSG exit talk
With Brazil's third-highest goalscorer of all time having come in for some backlash in the wake of his comments, Neymar's father has attempted to set the record straight by clarifying the sentiments made by his son.
"Attributing this spontaneous and honest response to a provocation to his current club is a malicious attitude whose sole purpose is to create a controversy where there is not any," Neymar Sr wrote on his official Instagram account, as per Bleacher Report.
"Many journalists and fans around the world consider this meeting to be one of the most memorable of the player's career."My son did not intend any disrespect to PSG or the athletes who played that match in 2017, some of them are now his club-mates.
"From the end of that game to today, he always remembers this match as one of the most important of his career."
The wantaway PSG superstar is believed to have attracted interest from both Barca and Real Madrid, and it remains to be seen where he will be playing his football next season.