Barcelona Gloats after Beating Madrid to Neymar

Barcelona's coach and players have lauded Brazilian sensation Neymar after his decision to join the Spanish champion over fierce rival Real Madrid.

"We have to thank Neymar for making a choice with sport in mind over economics," Barcelona manager Tito Vilanova said on Sunday in reference to Neymar's snubbing of the reportedly larger salary Madrid had offered him.

The 21-year-old striker is set to sign with Barcelona for the next five seasons on Monday.

Neymar's announcement Saturday that he would be moving to the Mediterranean came a day after Brazilian club Santos had said it had accepted offers from both Barcelona and Madrid and that the player was free to pick. The financial details of the deal with Santos have yet to be released.

"(Neymar) has chosen Barcelona because he believes that he can adapt well to this style of play," Vilanova said following Barcelona's 2-0 win at Espanyol on Sunday. "If he had been looking for money, Barcelona wouldn't have had anything to say. We are sure that he will play well in Europe and that he will help us to be a great team."

Vilanova described Neymar is "the player we were looking for," while trying to quash doubts about whether the rising star known for his flashy dribbling skills will fit in with Barcelona's honed passing game built around star Lionel Messi.

"If they say that Neymar is a 'Youtube player' it's something good because he plays great football and scores great goals," said Vilanova. "It's a dream to have this group of forwards. The more good players we have the more options we have at winning. Now we just have to combine them in the right fashion, just like we have before. We have to find the way that each player can play a leading role and have their space."

Barcelona recently clinched its fourth Spanish league title in five seasons, but its 7-0 thrashing by Bayern Munich over two legs in the Champions League semifinals meant that for the first time in five seasons it has been dethroned as the team to beat in Europe.

Neymar's signing to team up with Messi and Spanish internationals Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez is a clear message that Barcelona intends to stay on top in Spain and recover its continental crown.

Barcelona defender and fellow Brazil international Dani Alves said that Neymar "is not a pop star," while David Villa added that his arrival "is a great piece of news for all of Barcelona's fans" despite coming in direct competition with Neymar for playing time on the left side of Barcelona's attack.

Neymar's decision to leave Santos and join Barcelona instead of Madrid represents the latest in a long line of marquee transfer battles the two Spanish powerhouses have waged over the years. They date back to the 1950's when Argentina forward Alfredo Di Stefano ended up in the Spanish capital, and include David Beckham in the years of Madrid's "galaticos."

When asked if Neymar's choice of Barcelona was a setback for Madrid, club spokesman Miguel Padreza answered with a curt "he chose Barcelona and we don't have anything else to say."

Madrid defender Marcelo, an international teammate of Neymar, was more gracious.

"The truth is that I'm happy for him," Marcelo said. "He's making a jump in his career and I wish him the best."

Barcelona president Sandro Rosell, who was also credited with playing a key part in the signing of Brazil forward Ronaldinho a decade ago in 2003, said that there was still no date for Neymar's official presentation.

He also tried to downplay any duel with Madrid.

"We don't sign players with the idea of dealing a blow to anyone," Rosell said. "But rather to improve our club."

Later on Sunday, Neymar couldn't hold back the tears in his last match with Santos before joining Barcelona.

Neymar cried profusely as the Brazilian national anthem was sung before the match against Flamengo in the first round of the Brazilian league.

"It was very emotional," said Neymar as he bid farewell to his team and Brazilian football. "The movie of my life since I was a little kid came to my mind at that moment."

"It's a dream come true to be able to play for a team like Barcelona. I've always dreamed about doing that and now it's happening," Neymar said. "It will be a great honor to play with players like Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Dani Alves."

The striker said he played Sunday to be able to wear Santos' jersey at least one more time and to hear the fans chant his name again. But when he was introduced, he was booed by the Flamengo fans that dominated the crowd at the Estadio Nacional in Brasilia.

During the national anthem the striker couldn't hide his emotions. He started crying as he stood alongside his teammates, closing his eyes and dropping his head down. He said he also cried a lot at the team's hotel before heading to the stadium and in the changing room as well.

"It's not easy for him, but we tried to help him as much as possible," Santos defender Leo said.

Neymar didn't play particularly well in his last Santos match, though, struggling in the 0-0 draw.

He had a few chances in the first half, the most significant one a missed shot from outside the area in the 16th minute. He almost scored with a well-placed free kick in the 69th, but goalkeeper Felipe made the stop before the ball reached the upper corner.

More than 60,000 people attended the farewell match, which also served as the final test event at the venue ahead of the Confederations Cup. It will host the opener of the warm-up tournament on June 15, when Neymar will be back when Brazil faces Japan. He is only expected to join Barcelona after the World Cup warm-up tournament.

Neymar is leaving Santos a year before the end of his contract, which was intended to keep him in the club until the 2014 World Cup.

He began playing for Santos as a kid and quickly became its biggest star since Pele left the club in the 1970s. Neymar joined the senior squad in 2009 and has helped the club win six titles, including the 2010 Brazilian Cup, the 2011 Copa Libertadores and three straight Sao Paulo state championships. He is Santos' leading scorer in the post-Pele era with 138 goals in 230 matches.

"It's a great honor to have played for Santos for so long, I've been here nearly my entire life," Neymar said. "Today it ends part of my history with the club but I'll be back. I'm saying goodbye but I'll be back."