With Messi's arrival at PSG, Messi and Neymar are reunited again after four years. This move means that they could once again play together this season like the old time.
When Neymar decided to join Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) for a world record fee of €222 million (£200m/$271m), it was heavily rumoured that Lionel Messi was the reason behind his departure. It was speculated that Neymar did not want to be in Messi’s shadow and wanted to become the talisman of a team, which he couldn’t have done at Barcelona. During their time at Camp Nou, Messi and Neymar along with Luis Suarez had formed a lethal partnership upfront.
The trio were fondly known as “MSN” and scored a combined 100 goals for Barcelona for three seasons in a row as they created several records together. They were even involved in the spectacular comeback by Barcelona against PSG in the Champions League in 2017. But Neymar decided to pursue a career in France when he opted to move to PSG.
Neymar has always spoken of his admiration of Messi in all the interviews he has given.
“Leo,” said Neymar, “was a very special guy for me at Barcelona. I always tell everyone this story.
“In the moment I needed his support the most, the man of the team, the best in the world came to me, took my hand and told me ‘come here, you have to be yourself, you have to be happy, you have to be the same lad you were at Santos, don’t be timid, don’t be afraid of me or anyone, I am here to help you’.”
“You arrive a bit timidly, afraid of making mistakes, playing your game is a bit more complicated when he gave me his support when he told me this was at half-time in a game. I was crying in the dressing room, I can’t play my football, nothing is coming off, that’s when I stopped and thought… If Leo is telling me this, why not? It was there I felt most calm when we started to become friends.”
Neymar also said that he still keeps in touch with both Messi and Suarez while crediting them for making him comfortable at Barcelona.
“We chat, joke, banter, even though we’re far away, he’s a guy who I miss every day, him and Suarez. Two guys, I’ll remember the rest of my life, they are saved in football and in my heart, for all they did for me. They were my friends.
“I feel special affection for the two of them, it’s obvious that when Leo talks about it (my possible return) I have to breathe deeply and say that it was good while it lasted, I miss it, but today in Paris I have other challenges. I can’t say that it’s obvious that I miss the day to day life."
Now let's look forward to their performance in the new era!