SAO PAULO, Brazil -- Neymar said Saturday he will be joining Barcelona after the Confederations Cup, the latest addition to a star-filled roster that already includes four-time FIFA Player of the Year Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta. The decision came a day after Neymars Brazilian club, Santos, said it had accepted offers from Barcelona and Spanish rival Real Madrid, and that it was up to him to pick where he wanted to play. The 21-year-old striker made the announcement on Twitter and Instagram. "I wouldnt be able to wait until Monday. My friends and my family already know of my decision," he wrote. "On Monday I will sign a contract with Barcelona." Barcelona confirmed the deal on its own Twitter account. "FC Barcelona have reached an agreement with Santos for Neymar," the club said. "The Brazilian player will join FC Barcelona for the next five seasons." The club offered more praise on its website, calling him "one of the most promising footballers on the planet." Messi was quoted as saying earlier this week that Neymar would be "a wonderful signing" for Barcelona. Neymar didnt give any details on the offer he and Santos accepted from Barcelona. He will play his last match with Santos on Sunday in the teams first match in this years Brazilian league. "I want to thank Santos fans for these nine incredible years. My feelings for the club and the fans will never change," he said. "I made it sure that I play (this last match) so I can have the opportunity to once again enter the field wearing the teams jersey and to hear the fans chant my name." Neymar led Santos to its greatest run since Pele stopped playing for the club in the 1970s, helping the team win the 2010 Brazilian Cup, the 2011 Copa Libertadores and three straight Sao Paulo state championships. He is the clubs leading scorer in the post-Pele era with 138 goals in 229 matches. Hes also considered the national teams key player in the upcoming Confederations Cup and World Cup, which Brazil hosts next year. Neymar will join Barcelona after the Confederations Cup, as the transfer window in Europe opens in July. The signing ends years of speculation about which team would be the first to persuade the Brazilian sensation to make the move to Europe. Neymar has never hidden his desire to one day play for Barcelona, but this week Real Madrid also became a front-runner to sign him. Santos vice-president Odilio Rodrigues said Friday that both offers were "similar," but hinted that Neymar already had a "gentlemans agreement" with Barcelona. Neymar learned the details of the offers late Friday and said he would look at both carefully before deciding. He said he was "very proud" the Spanish powerhouses were interested in him, calling it "one of the happiest moments" of his life. Brazilian media reported that Real Madrid was willing to pay Santos 35 million euros for Neymar, 7 million euros more than Barcelona. Real Madrid also reportedly offered a bigger salary. Spanish media said the total Barcelona would spend on Neymar could reach about 50 million euros. Santos officially rejected a 35 million-euro offer for Neymar from Chelsea in 2010 and he eventually re-signed with the club until the 2014 World Cup, with a buyout clause of 65 million euros. Santos was trying to sell Neymar as quickly as possible because in six months the player would be allowed to sign a pre-contract with any other club and the Brazilian team would not get anything in return. Neymar is an idol on the field and a celebrity off it in Brazil. He appears in dozens of television commercials and his image is plastered on billboards across the country, making him by far the best paid athlete in Brazil. This week, he topped the list of most marketable athletes in the world in a report published by SportsPro magazine, finishing ahead of Messi and golfer Rory McIlroy. But he is also criticized by some in Europe for his dives and alleged attempts to fake injuries. Pele has repeatedly said that Neymar has the potential to be the best player in the world, even better than Messi, but he is one of the critics who recently said Neymar should try to stop diving so much. Neymar is also criticized for disappointing performances at decisive moments when he plays for Brazil. His recent lacklustre performances with the national team even attracted loud jeers from home fans. cheap china jerseys . Scott already has served three games while waiting for an in-person hearing, which was held Thursday morning. Scott was issued a match penalty for charging and ejected for his hit on Eriksson early in the third period of Bostons 5-2 win on Oct. cheap nfl jerseys .ca! Kerry, Last night watching the Bruins-Lightning game, Tim Thomas lost his mask but play went on. I am curious what the official ruling on this is, as I have seen play stopped much quicker earlier in these playoffs even and twice was for Dwayne Roloson having loose straps on his mask. http://www.cheapjerseyschina.cc/ . -- Long after the kids from Kansas have started raking in their NBA bucks, Askia Booker of Colorado will still be talking about the day he struck it big -- the day he made the shot at the buzzer to beat the Jayhawks. cheap jerseys from china . Top Picks: Over the last three seasons, C Claude Giroux has put up 216 points, the fourth-best total in the league. Even with an offseason finger injury, Giroux is a good bet to be among the top scorers in the league, making him a No. cheap jerseys china . Same for Matthew Stafford, and they knew exactly what to do.LONDON -- Cesar Azpilicueta seized on a defensive blunder and Juan Mata scored a slick second as Chelsea dumped Premier League leader Arsenal out of the League Cup with a 2-0 victory at its London rival on Tuesday. The fourth round loss ends one route to a trophy for Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who failed to mastermind a victory over Jose Mourinho for the ninth time as he looks to deliver his clubs first silverware since 2005. Mourinho now has a quarterfinal to look forward to in the competition that gave him the first trophy of his first Chelsea reign in 2005. Manchester United will be joining Chelsea in the last eight after Javier Hernandez scored twice in a 4-0 victory over Norwich. In a shock result, Fulham was beaten 4-3 by second-tier club Leicester. Stoke was forced into extra time against Birmingham but won 4-2 on penalties after it finished 4-4 over 120 minutes. West Ham also required penalties to see off lower-league opposition, but won 2-0 at Burnley with goals in regulation time. At the Emirates Stadium, Chelsea was in action for the second time in three days, although only Gary Cahill survived the team that beat Manchester City on Sunday. Wenger made eight changes for the side that won at Crystal Palace on Saturday to remain top of the league. But in the cups, Arsenal has now lost twice in eight days, having been beaten at home in the Champions League by Borussia Dortmund last Tuesday. A blunder at the back gifted Chelsea the opener in the 25th minute after launching a swift counterattack. Arsenal defender Carl Jenkinsons backwards header was too weak to reach goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski, and Chelsea defender Azpilicueta ran through and dispatched the ball into the net. Arsenal rarely looked like equalizing and Mata smashed the second into the roof of the net in the 66th after Willian nodded the ball back to the Spain midfielder in a move that started from a throw in. It left the home crowd demoralized. "Lets not go too quick for conclusions," Wenger said. "Its difficult to swallow what happened to us in the last week." But asked about his poor record against Mourinho, Wenger quipped: "I dont think he scored the first goal." At Old Trafford, United turned in thee kind of performance missing largely in the league this season and Hernandez might hope for more game time up front after this double.dddddddddddd The Mexico striker opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 20th after Leroy Fer fouled Adnan Januzaj. He was on target again nine minutes into the second half, heading home after Mark Bunn parried an initial effort. "He has waited patiently for his opportunities and when he gets them he has taken them," United assistant manager Steve Round said. Phil Jones volleyed in Uniteds third, and Fabio da Silva collected a long ball from Wayne Rooney and slipped it past the onrushing Bunn. Play had been halted for around eight minutes in the second half after Norwich midfielder Robert Snodgrass was knocked out during a clash of heads with Rafael da Silva and was taken to the hospital. "It is very much concussion," Norwich manager Chris Hughton said. "He has also taken a whack in the incident itself so they will have a look at that and X-ray that just to make sure there is nothing broken." In a seven-goal thriller at Leicester, it was a night to forget for Fulham. Although Hugo Rodallega put Fulham in front, Wes Morgan, Chris Wood and Ignasi Miquel put Leicester 3-1 up by the 53rd. Fulham staged a comeback through Rodallega and Giorgos Karagounis, who scored directly from a free kick in the 86th. But Lloyd Dyer restored Leicesters lead for good three minutes later. At Turf Moor, West Ham left it late to see off Burnley thanks to two penalties. Matthew Taylor scored the first in the 76th after Jason Shackell brought down Kevin Nolan, and Jack Collison netted in stoppage time after being fouled by Keith Treacy, who was sent off. Entering the final five minutes at St. Andrews, Stoke looked set for a 3-1 victory against a Birmingham side that had been reduced to 10 men on the stroke of half time when Wade Elliott was sent off amid a mass melee. But Birmingham substitute Peter Lovenkrands scored twice in the last five minutes to send the game to extra time. Kenwyne Jones restored Stokes lead just four minutes into the additional period before Olly Lee levelled for Birmingham. The clubs luck ran out, however, in the shootout. cheap nfl jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '