Sports

“I Want To Play With Messi Next Season”- Neymar

Brazilian ace, Neymar, has expressed his desire to play alongside former team-mate, Lionel Messi next season.
The Brazilian and Argentine combined to great effect during four seasons together at Camp Nou.

Neymar and Messi played together at Barcelona for four seasons between 2013 and 2017, combining to devastating effect in the Blaugrana’s forward line.

Alongside Luis Suarez in a forward line which came to be known as MSN, Neymar and Messi would help Barcelona win La Liga twice and the Champions League once, along with three Copa del Rey titles.

Neymar eventually left Barca in the summer of 2017, however, joining PSG in a world-record €222 million transfer.

In recent seasons however, the Brazilian has been frequently rumoured to be on the verge of staging a return to the Camp Nou, a deal which is yet to materialise.

Meanwhile, Messi’s stay with Barca is in major doubt after a highly tensed summer transfer window which saw the Argentine nurse feelings of departing Barcelona only to reverse those feelings in favour of giving at least one more season to the Blaugrana.

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The Argentine’s deal with Barcelona, however, will expire at the end of the current season, meaning he could be in the final months of his legendary run with the Catalan giants.

Though it’s not clear where a possible reunion would take place, Neymar insisted that he wants to play alongside Messi again after Wednesday’s vital 3-1 win at Old Trafford against Manchester United.

“What I want the most is to enjoy playing with him again,” Neymar told ESPN after scoring a brace against United.

When asked where that reunion would occur, Neymar said with a laugh: “He can play in my role, it wouldn’t be a problem with me!”

He added: “For sure, next year we have to do it.”

The Brazilian star scored twice at Old Trafford to send the Ligue 1 side top of a tightly contested Group H.

PSG, RB Leipzig and Manchester United are all on nine points heading into match-day six, setting up a potentially frenetic final match-day.

Neymar’s side only need a draw against Istanbul Basaksehir on Tuesday to clinch qualification to the knockout phase, which would leave United and Leipzig to slug out the remaining qualification place in a feisty dog fight.

As gathered by Eko Hot Blog, Speaking to Eleven Sports PT after the game, Neymar dismissed any lingering fears that he was worried about his team slinking into less glamorous Europa League competition

“I’ve never seen myself knocked out of the Champion’s League or playing the Europa League,” Neymar said. “It never went through my head and it won’t.

“With these difficulties, I managed to grow up, to take responsibility. I did not come here to play the Europa League.”

Ronny Ikpoto

Edidiong-Ronny Ikpoto holds a First Class degree in Media Studies. He shares a healthy enthusiasm for journalism, social & literary criticism, and creative writing.

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