Neymar Jr has paid an emotional tribute to Lionel Messi after the Argentine’s exit from Paris Saint-Germain was confirmed on Saturday.
Messi spent two years at Parc De Princes after peculiar circumstances led to him leaving Barcelona, the club of his youth, in 2021.
The Parisians had the goal of winning the UEFA Champions League and returning to the top of French football after being usurped the season before signing Messi. However, with a newly assembled front line of Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, they still fell short in the Champions League, exiting the competition in the knockout rounds in the two years Messi spent at the club.
Messi, however, continued to perform to his best, racking up 58 league appearances, contributing 22 goals and 30 assists in two Ligue 1 seasons, and nine Champions League goals from 14 appearances for the French giants.
He leaves as a two-time Ligue 1 champion and a Tropheé does Champions winner, taking his title haul to 43 in his storied career. Alongside Dani Alves, he is the most decorated footballer in the history of the sport, with many individual titles to his name.
PSG fans refused to acknowledge his efforts, however. They have made him the scapegoat for their poor Champions League outings and for some of their lacklustre performances in the league despite them winning it all.
Many in the media believe that Messi’s scapegoating is due to the outcome of the 2022 FIFA World Cup final in Qatar, where he upstaged Mbappe, their prince, to win the title and the best player award.
Neymar, who was reportedly believed to have helped Messi’s decision to move to PSG from Barcelona, has come out on a number of occasions to defend the 35-year-old from the heckling and the boos of the club’s fans, despite facing a similar situation.
He alluded to it in his emotional farewell post to his friend, while thanking him for the opportunity to play together again after the time they shared in Barcelona. “Brother… it didn’t turn out as we thought but we tried everything,” Neymar’s Instagram post reads.
“It was a pleasure to share two more years with you. Good luck in your new stage and be happy. I love you.”
Messi is linked with a return to Barcelona. There are also links to the MLS and the Saudi Pro League to help the country’s 2030 World Cup hosting bid.
Neymar is also on his way out of PSG as the club are looking to build a younger, more French squad with Mbappe as the leader of the project after naming him vice captain recently.
The summer promises to be very interesting for both players.
