Cruzeiro’s Néiser Villarreal: Inspired by Neymar, dream to play with him | OneFootball

Forward Néiser Villarreal was presented by Cruzeiro this Tuesday at Toca da Raposa II as the first signing for the 2026 season. During the press conference, the Colombian revealed his admiration for Neymar and said he always dreamed of sharing the field with the Brazilian star.

“Neymar is a player I’ve looked up to since I was a child, I have a lot of affection and respect for him and I always wanted to play alongside him, but now at Cruzeiro I’ll be able to face him,” he commented.

His admiration for Neymar is nothing new. An outspoken fan, Néiser has already celebrated goals with the traditional “grimace” of the number 10 from Santos and even changed the spelling of his own name in tribute to the star. On his Raposa uniform, the youngster will use “Neyser,” with a Y instead of an I.

Complicated Negotiation

The forward signed a pre-contract with Cruzeiro back in September, during a period when he was recovering from a knee injury. He then played in the U-20 World Cup for Colombia and was one of the team’s main standouts, scoring five goals and helping the squad reach the semifinals. Although his contract with Millonarios ran until December, the player was released early about a week ago and did not return to the club after the World Cup.

Cruzeiro’s vice-president, Pedro Junio, detailed the negotiations and recalled the unsuccessful attempt to bring the forward during the mid-year transfer window.

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“It wasn’t an easy negotiation. At first, we had our initial talks with his representatives, who pointed us to Millonarios, so we reached out to Millonarios first. That was done. We sent a representative to Colombia. We had some meetings with Millonarios, but those meetings did not progress. We were not successful in buying Néiser so he could come during the mid-year window,” he stated.

He then added: “With his contract ending on November 23, and no agreement with Millonarios, we decided to move forward with the pre-contract. He’s a player who chose to be here at Cruzeiro, had offers from several European clubs, and other important clubs, but chose Cruzeiro because of the project. He’s a national team player and here he has a lot of room to grow.”

Will Néiser Villarreal be able to play in the Copa do Brasil?

Villarreal still cannot make his debut for Cruzeiro. The forward is waiting for the transfer window to open so he can be officially registered. Thus, Néiser will not be able to play for Cruzeiro in this final stretch of the Brasileirão, nor will he be available for the Copa do Brasil semifinal.

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Cruzeiro’s Next Match

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.