Why Xavi shoved Neymar in the face during Barcelona bus parade in 2015

Neymar is on the verge of a move to Paris Saint-Germain following four years with FC Barcelona.

The Brazilian forward is set to undergo a medical within the next 24-48 hours, according to reports from France, and a world-record transfer could be completed as early as this week.

PSG are expected to trigger Neymar’s €220 million release clause, despite threats from Barça, who are reportedly prepared to report the Ligue 1 outfit to UEFA for an alleged breach of Financial Fair Play rules.

Many Barça fans have lost respect for Neymar over the past couple of weeks, infuriated by his silence in the midst of intense speculation over his future.

And they were further antagonised by the South American at the weekend when it was emerged that he’d spent 15 minutes inside the Real Madrid dressing room following Saturday night’s Clasico in Miami.

Neymar was filmed walking away from Madrid’s dressing room with two Madrid shirts in his hands.

Some Barcelona fans have even compared him to Luis Figo as a result.

When Xavi shoved Neymar in the face in 2015

How they must wish Xavi was still at the club. He would have knocked some sense into the 25-year-old.

Back in 2015, the legendary midfielder was filmed shoving Neymar in the face during the team’s Champions League open-top bus parade.

Watch it here…

Why Xavi shoved Neymar in the face

But what sparked this bizarre altercation between the two teammates?

Xavi would later tell Qatari newspaper Sport, per the Independent: "He (Neymar) was trying to take my shoes off and pushing me when I was on the edge of the bus.

“I said that they should stop messing about and concentrate on the people that had come out to wave as the bus passed.

"These parades are for the people after all. It’s okay to have three or four beers but the parade is for the people and it’s the chance for us to thank them for our support. You can’t just do what you want to do."

Fair play to Xavi. One can only imagine what he would have said to Neymar after his antics over the past couple of weeks.

A true leader, Xavi was never afraid to remind his teammates of their responsibilities when required.

Xavi had another go at Neymar in 2015

There was another incident in 2015 when the World Cup winner put Neymar back in his place.

When Neymar flicked the ball over an Athletic Bilbao player during the Copa del Rey final, which Barcelona had already effectively won, Xavi voiced his disapproval.

"This sort of thing is accepted in Brazil but here he will need to learn how to win and to lose,” Xavi said at the time. “He is an extraordinary player who also works hard and is very humble but he maybe just needs to reflect a little.

"If you do that [trick] in the first minute when it’s 0-0 it is one thing but if you do it when he did it… he needs to think about that."