High Court confirms ruling clearing Neymar of corruption charges related to Barcelona move

Neymar, the Santos forward, recently underwent a successful operation on his left knee to repair a damaged meniscus, as announced by his club on December 22, 2025, following a notable performance at the Urbano Caldeira Stadium in Santos, Sao Paulo state, Brazil on February 5, 2025.

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Spain's Supreme Court confirmed the acquittal of Neymar and former Barcelona presidents of corruption charges related to his 2013 transfer to the Catalan giants on Wednesday, bringing an end to a long-standing legal battle.

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The case originated from a complaint filed by Brazilian sports investment firm DIS in 2015, which claimed it lost out financially on Neymar's transfer due to its 40 percent ownership of his sporting rights when he was a young prospect at Santos FC.

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DIS alleged that the true value of the deal was obscured by those involved and that it was not informed of the existence of an exclusivity contract in 2011 between Neymar and Barcelona, prompting a highly publicised trial in 2022.

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The trial resulted in the acquittal of all defendants, including Neymar, his parents, and former Barcelona presidents Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell, of corruption and fraud charges.

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Santos, its former president Odilio Rodrigues Filho, and N&N, the company founded by Neymar's parents to manage his career, were also cleared of any wrongdoing in the case.

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Despite the acquittal, DIS appealed the verdict, but the Supreme Court ultimately ruled that "the proven facts have revealed the inconsistency of the accusation", stating that there was no offence of corruption in business dealings or improper fraud.

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The court explained that the transfer was a result of a sporting decision by the club to ensure Neymar's signing, with several rival teams also coveting him at the time, and that this decision did not constitute any corruption or fraud.

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DIS had been seeking to recover 35 million euros, which it claimed it was cheated of, but the court's ruling brought an end to its pursuit of compensation.

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According to Barcelona, the transfer cost 57.1 million euros, with 40 million euros paid to N&N and 17.1 million to Santos, of which 6.8 million was given to DIS, highlighting the complex financial arrangements surrounding the deal.

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Initially, prosecutors had sought a two-year jail term and a 10-million-euro fine for Neymar, but they dropped corruption and fraud charges against all the accused in a surprise move.

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Neymar, now back at Santos, had also faced tax fraud allegations deriving from the same transfer, but this affair ended in 2016 when Barcelona paid a fine of 5.5 million euros in a deal with prosecutors.