A recent interview with Neymar with Globo provides a glimpse into the rollercoaster of emotions he and Lionel Messi went through during their time at PSG.
In 2017, Neymar joined PSG with a record-breaking transfer fee of $240 million. Lionel Messi joined in 2021. The soccer world eagerly anticipated the fireworks that would come from these two giants uniting both in Ligue 1 and the UEFA Champions League. Their shared goal was clear: make history together.
Neymar’s recent comments about his experience at PSG reveal the pressure and expectations they faced. While they undeniably dazzled on the field and played a role in PSG’s success, they were unable to achieve their ultimate dream of winning the Champions League.
Neymar had strong feelings about his and Messi’s time in Paris. pic.twitter.com/B1yGkghR3Q
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) September 3, 2023
Neymar made comments on Lionel Messi, stating, “I was very happy for the year he had, but at the same time very sad, because he lived both sides of the coin, he went to heaven with the Argentina team, won everything in recent years, and with Paris he lived hell. We lived through hell, both he and I.”
“We get upset, because we’re not there for nothing, we’re there to do our best, be champions, try to make history, that’s why we started playing together again, we came together there so we could make history. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it,” he added.
The Neymar-Messi partnership at PSG may not have reached the success they had envisioned. They filled the journey with moments of brilliance and camaraderie.
Neymar’s mixed feelings about Lionel Messi’s departure from PSG
The summer of 2023 saw soccer fans around the world bid farewell to a partnership that once promised to redefine the sport. Neymar and Lionel Messi, two soccer talents from their generation, left Paris Saint-Germain to take on challenges.
Despite rumors of a potential return to FC Barcelona, each player went their own way. Neymar and Messi made news-grabbing choices in the summer of 2023 by choosing to take on new challenges. While Neymar chose Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, Messi set out on an adventure with Inter Miami.
🗣️Thierry Henry on @PVSportFR :
“For me, the problem of PSG is not Messi, Mbappe or Neymar. Few years back , the Ultras whistled at Mbappe , same with Neymar & now Messi. They whistle against their best players. For me, they(PSG Ultras) are the problem of this club”#PSG🔴🔵👏🏽 pic.twitter.com/zkr8pBTJbw
— PSG Chief (@psg_chief) May 15, 2023
Neymar’s remarks about Messi leaving PSG as a free agent highlight how much he respects and admires his former teammate. He shared his joy over Messi’s recent World Cup victory with Argentina and said he thought Messi deserved a more respectful departure from the team.
He said, “Messi left in a way that, for football, he didn’t deserve. For everything he is, everything he does, anyone who knows him knows, he is a guy who trains, who fights, if he loses he gets angry, and he was unfairly treated in my opinion. But at the same time I was very happy that he won the World Cup. As you said, football was fair this time, since the Brazilian team lost, Messi deserved to end his career like this.”
