Neymar's agent Wagner Ribeiro has urged the embattled Brazil and Barcelona star to put his money in tax havens and move to Real Madrid before the end of his career.
A Brazilian court froze assets of Neymar, his family and related businesses valued at 188.8 million Brazilian reals ($48 million, €42 million) last week, with a Sao Paulo tribunal alleging the 23-year-old has evaded 63 million reals in Brazil taxes (almost $16m or €14m) between 2011 and 2013, when he was still a player with Brazilian club Santos.
In response to the action, Ribeiro took to Instagram on Monday to offer his advice, in a lengthy post, on how the Selecao captain should manage his money in the future, and where he should ply his trade in the years to come.
"Take your money, send everything to tax havens, legally, of course," Ribeiro wrote in a letter addressed to Neymar's father, Neymar Sr. "This way you will stop paying taxes in Brazil! Close your businesses, the Institute of Praia Grande, and go enjoy your life on Mediterranean beaches. You and your family.
"But leave Neymar to play a few more years ... and end his career in Europe, preferably at Real Madrid."
In the opinion of Ribeiro, while also hinting at a deep societal disdain in Brazil for newly rich football players like Neymar, the decision to keep the former Copa Libertadores winner's money in Brazil, spread out among various businesses, was the wrong move.
"In Brazil, when the poor become rich they have to be dumb. Do you know 'You leave the slums, but the slums don't leave you?' This has intrinsic meaning for the parts of society accustomed to 'always win,'" he said.
"They want you to continue being a 'slum kid.' But you are stubborn like your father. He planned [Neymar's] career on the pitch and publicity-wise, built businesses for it. Everything within the law and that was his mistake. All the money earned is 'nationalised and stamped' when it enters the country."
A photo posted by Wagner Ribeiro (@ribeirowagner) on
Neymar moved in 2013 from Brazilian club Santos to Spain's Barcelona in a transfer that is also under investigation by Spanish tax authorities.
In a statement, Judge Carlos Muta said that Neymar declared assets worth only 19.6 million reals (a little less than $5m).
The judge says Neymar "is solely responsible for the income declaration.''
The court has ordered that 150 percent of the funds be frozen to ensure the payment of interests and fines for the alleged tax evasion, judicial sources in Brazil told Correio Braziliense on Friday.
The court said on Friday that it would also freeze assets of Neymar Sr. as well as the following companies: Neymar Sport e Marketing, N & N Consultoria Esportiva e Empresarial and N & N Administração de Bens Participações e Investimentos.
The court alleges that the taxes are more than 30 percent of what was initially declared by Neymar and could be as much as €55m.
However, Iagaro Jung Martins, an auditor with Brazil's federal tax agency, said that Neymar isn't likely to go to jail if he pays what he owes.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.