Neymar Arrives at Court to Face Corruption Charges Over his 2013 Transfer to Barcelona

With the World Cup barely a month away, Brazilian superstar Neymar goes on trial in Spain today over alleged irregularities in his transfer to Barcelona nearly a decade ago.

The Paris Saint-Germain player, 30, arrived at the Provincial Court of Barcelona this morning for the trial, which is the culmination of a years-long legal saga over his 2013 transfer from the Brazilian club Santos.

Neymar is one of nine defendants on trial on corruption-related charges, among them his parents and their N&N company, which manages his affairs. All three are facing charges of business corruption.

If convicted, Neymar could face two years in jail and a 10 million euro (£8.6 million) fine.

Investigators began probing the 2013 transfer after a 2015 complaint filed by DIS, a Brazilian company that owned 40 per cent of the player's sporting rights when he was at Santos.

Barcelona said the transfer cost 57.1 million euros (£49.4 million), but prosecutors believe it was at least 83 million euros (£71.8million).