Neymar’s €18,000 per month rental pad in Barcelona

Neymar da Silva, the world-famous Brazilian footballer who recently signed for FC Barcelona, is renting a villa in the swanky Pedralbes area of Barcelona for €18,000 / month.

The superstar had originally wanted to buy a property close to the beach in Castelldefels, Sitges or Gavà, but his family needed more time to decide on the ideal home and Neymar’s rush to start training and playing matches for Barcelona meant that he decided to choose the rental option instead.

According to the newspaper La Vanguardia, the Pedralbes villa that Neymar is renting is owned by a businessman with close links to FC Barcelona’s directors. Payment of the rent will definitely not be a problem, Neymar received an initial €40 million payment upon signing at Barcelona, and will earn a further €7 million a year on his current contract which expires in 2018.

Pedralbes is to Barcelona what Hampstead is to London – an upmarket area with big houses and gardens. In fact, Pedralbes is one of the few areas of Barcelona where you can buy a house with a garden, many of them with dramatic views over the city towards the Mediterranean. Houses in Pedralbes typically start at around 3 million Euros to buy.

Neymar’s preference for a property located close to the beach matches those of other Brazilians who have played for Barcelona such as Romario who owned a house in Sitges, and Ronaldinho, who chose to live in Gavà. Other popular Barcelona districts for the clubs footballers include Sarrià (where Messi lives), and Sant Cugat.