In the transition from the modest French side Ronaldinho left to the European giants feared by top clubs, this particular Brazilian played a huge part, even if his name will not be remembered as much as the current stars.
'I would like to play with Neymar', Anderson Luiz de Carvalho, also known as Nene, said in 2012. The footballer was one of the marquee signings at the dawn of Al Khelaifi's reign in Paris, with Carlo Ancelotti the manager chosen to lead PSG to greatness.
Nene was not asking for Neymar's move to Paris, but he wanted to sign for Santos, where the 19-year-old star began to shine. The switch never happened, but Nene never played for PSG again.
He was transferred to Qatar's Al-Gharafa in January and never displayed the same level he did in France. After a short-lived spell at West Ham, he finally returned to Brazil, to put an end to his career with some decent performances.
Before that, Nene had dabbled in Spanish football. He started off at Mallorca, before playing for Alaves between 2004 and 2006. He was not one to remain put and he spent another season at Celta Vigo, where he did well despite the team's relegation.
He then decided to start his stint in France. He began at Monaco, where he starred for the Principality side along with Menez and, after a year-long loan back in Spain, at Espanyol, PSG decided to secure his services in 2010.
In his first season, he was the star of the team. He was joined in his second campaign by Pastore, Maxwell, Menez, Motta, Matuidi and Gameiro to the finish runners-up in the Ligue 1 and seal PSG's return to the Champions League.
Carlo Ancelotti took hold of the team and Nene would still play alongside a host of stars that arrived with the Italian manager, including Ibrahimovic, Lavezzi, Thiago Silva, Verratti or Lucas Moura. However, he decided to leave the team at Christmas. He refused to play second fiddle and left in search of new challenges.
He never found fortune once he left the Parc des Princes, but if Neymar decided to join the Parisians at the peak of his footballing career, it is to a certain extent thanks to the Brazilian who has been forgotten, but who helped to construct the winning team Al Khelaifi always wanted.