The Brazilian who no-one remebers that helped build today's PSG

''I would like to play with Neymar'' mused Anderson Luiz de Carvalho, better known as Nene, in 2012. One of the stars of PSG, who had already secured the investment of Al Khelaifi and were managed by Carlo Ancelotti. He made the comments as he returned to Brazil to spend the Christmas holiday with his family.

He wasn't asking for his team to sign the at the time 19 year old, rather he wanted to leave France to play with Neymar at Santos. However the signing never took place. Instead he was eventually sold to Qatari side Al-Gharafa.

He never reached the high levels of form he showed in France again and after a brief and underwhelming stint in England with West Ham, he ended up going back to Brazil where he found his spark again, but playing a lower standard of football.

Much earlier, Nene had become a bit of a journeyman in Spanish football. He arrived at Mallorca and then played for the first time under rich owner, well before his arrival at PSG, spending two years at Alaves under Dimitry Piterman.

However he never really settled, he spent a year at Celta de Vigo and did well, but after the team were relegated he left to Monaco, where he began building his star in France. He starred for the Principality team alongside Jeremy Menez and after another brief stint in Spain, with Espanyol, PSG signed him in 2010.

May 12, 2018

He was the team's main man in his first season and in the second he was joined by Pastore, Menez, Maxwell, Motta, Matuidi and Gameiro in order to compete for the league title and return to the Champions League.

Under the management of Carlo Ancelotti, Nene played with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva, but would have played with more superstars had he stayed longer. But his playing time was limited and he didn't want to sit on the bench behind others. he wanted to be the star of the team and as a result took the decision to leave and sought pastures new.

History may have not treated him well, but the fact Neymar chose PSG, after their return to the top is at least thanks in some part to the Brazilian, who almost no one remembers, who helped start the Al-Khelafi project when no one believed in it.