• ‘My heart told me that it was time to sign for Paris Saint-Germain’ • Players’ union bemoans dominance of ‘rich European clubs’

Neymar has dismissed suggestions his world-record £198m move to Paris Saint-Germain was motivated by money and instead insisted he had moved to the French capital for “a new challenge”.

A little more than 12 hours after his transfer from Barcelona was confirmed, the Brazilian was introduced as a PSG player in front of the world’s media at the Parc des Princes just after lunch on Friday.

Waiting for a glimpse of their new star, hundreds of PSG fans had thronged the streets outside the stadium throughout the morning. When Neymar appeared a few boys perched on their fathers’ shoulders cried at the sight of the 25-year-old.

Neymar says 'money was never my motivation as PSG unveil £198m signing – as it happened Read more

“I wanted something bigger, a bigger challenge. This was about ambition,” Naymar said. “My heart told me it was time to sign for Paris Saint-Germain. It was the right time to leave Barcelona. I was never motivated by money. I thought above all else about the happiness of my family, regardless of money. I’m really sad some people think this is the case.”

When asked how he felt about becoming the most valuable player of all time, surpassing Paul Pogba following his £89m move to Manchester United last summer, Neymar even found time for a joke: “It’s not an extra burden. I weigh 69kg and I’ll remain at 69kg.”

Nasser al-Khelaifi, the PSG owner, then took the striker on a tour of the stadium, where PSG will take on promoted Amiens on Saturday in the first match of the Ligue 1 season. Despite yet having to train with his team-mates, Neymar has not ruled out playing some part.

The occasion was certainly a triumph for Khelaifi, whose Qatar Sports Investments bought a majority share in PSG six years ago.

“For me Neymar is the best player in the world, so we wanted to have the best player in the world,” he said. “Neymar came here to write new pages in the history of Paris Saint-Germain. With him our project will grow even stronger. The league will become more interesting for everyone. More transfers? The best player in the world is here. Let’s enjoy Neymar.”

The supporters outside did not take much persuading. “This is the best day of my life,” said Sébastien, a PSG season ticket holder for 20 years. “I cannot believe a player of Neymar’s calibre is playing for my team. It is a dream come true for all the PSG fans and for French football in general as well. He is bigger than anything we have seen before in France.”

By lunchtime the club shop on the Champs Élysées had reported record sales, with Neymar’s replica No10 shirt being sold for £140.

The transfer has not been well received by everyone, however. An hour before he was due to appear, the international players’ association released a statement demanding an investigation into “anti-competitive, unjustified and illegal” Fifa transfer rules.

“Fifpro is calling on the European Commission to investigate the flow of money via transfer fees within the EU territory to understand their impact on competitive balance in the region.”

Barcelona confirmed a £23.5m bonus due to Neymar and his father as part of a bonus for his contract renewal last year will not be paid. The amount had been deposited with a notary but a Barça spokesman Josep Vives claimed “agreed conditions have not been met”.

He added: “There were three conditions – one, that the player didn’t negotiate with another club before 31 July; two, that he publicly expressed his decision to fulfil his contract; and three, the payment was to be made on 1 September to ensure he didn’t go to another club. With these criteria not met, Barcelona will not pay the renewal bonus.”

Neymar is expected to fight Barça’s decision in court but that is a battle for another day.