“Messi is a football idol and a genius, but he is also my friend”

On the occasion of the French national final of the football tournament Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five, the Brazilian star gave an interview in which he spoke about the objectives and the current situation surrounding both Paris Saint-Germain, especially after the arrival of Leo Messi, and with regard to the Brazilian team. Neymar acknowledges being “very satisfied to have Messi at PSG”. The Argentine star, whom he defines as “a soccer idol, a great player and a genius, but he is also my friend”, this summer undertook the same path as Neymar, leaving FC Barcelona to join the ranks of the Parisian team. It’s because, sharing together again, Neymar’s goal is “to make history together like we did at Barcelona”.

And making history in Paris means achieving the first Champions League in the history of PSG. “I came to Paris Saint-Germain with the aim of lifting the Champions League trophy. I have been trying since 2017.”says Neymar. But it is thanks to signings like that of Leo Messi, as stated by the Brazilian for which the team coached by Mauricio Pochettino is one of the main favorites to lift the ‘orejona’ this season: “Today our team has new additions High quality players were brought in and we are still adapting to each other. By the time we get used to it, we’ll be very strong collectively and individually, I don’t think I have to say anything. “.

But at Paris Saint-Germain there are not only Messi and Neymar. “Mbappé is very fast, young, a great player. And the other one who surprised me was Verratti. I knew he was good, but I didn’t know he was so good, a genius,” added the Brazilian star about some of his current teammates. In the case of the Italian, Neymar even went so far as to affirm that “He is one of the best midfielders I have played with, along with Xavi and Iniesta”. Bigger words in the case of a player who won everything with the culé team.

In search of surpassing Pelé

In addition to the objectives that he sets himself with his club, the Brazilian team is always very present in Neymar’s mind. The Brazilian, who will arrive at the Qatar 2022 World Cup at the age of 30, wanted to explain if this will be the last World Cup event that Verdeamarela sees: “I said it would be my last World Cup and that I would face it in the best possible way. better of me to be there one hundred percent If there is a match tomorrow, that match for me is as if it were the last of my life. So, for that World Cup that is coming up, I think of it as the last one for me, because I don’t know what tomorrow will be like and what could happen “. And many understood that Neymar “wanted to stop playing football and that he would leave the national team”, something that the player himself has denied. “I wanted to say that I see it as the last,” he clarified.

In addition, Neymar will not want to withdraw from the national team without first surpassing Pele’s goal record: “I don’t think I can express what I would feel if I achieved that goal. It’s something that I have as a clear goal. I think every player, when he’s about to to achieve something, it is motivated even more. ” ‘O Rei’ is still Canarinha’s top scorer with 77 goals, just 7 more than the Paris Saint-Germain footballer. However, no matter how many goals Neymar ends up scoring with the Brazilian team, he is clear: “I am far from thinking that I am better than Pelé or from comparing myself to him. I have the opportunity to surpass Pelé’s goal record, yes, but my respect for him is higher and, I’m sure, when he scores goal 77, I’ll pay tribute to him “. And this respect is due to the fact that, for Neymar, “Pelé is the king of soccer, the greatest idol of Brazil.” The PSG player affirms that “if Brazil is famous in the world of football today, it is thanks to him. We are lucky that Pelé was born in Brazil “.