Neymar Jr. left FC Barcelona in 2017 in part to get away from Lionel Messi and forge his own path at Paris Saint-Germain but when they were teammates, one opponent claims he was more impressed by the Brazilian.
During a recent episode of the “Ballin” podcast (via Onze Mondial), Galatasaray midfielder Mario Lemina discussed a number of topics including the 2015 UEFA Champions League final between Barcelona and Juventus FC.
Lemina would later join Juventus from Olympique de Marseille via a loan a couple of months after the final but during the podcast, the 26-year-old recalled how impressed he was with Neymar.
“Neymar was the player who impressed me the most. He dribbled at the defense. I played against Messi, he impressed me less than Neymar.”
Barcelona went on to defeat Juventus that season by a score of 3-1 with Neymar scoring a stoppage-time goal and Andrés Iniesta receiving Man of the Match honors.
Messi has the trophies and Ballon d’Or honors to claim Goat status but Neymar can absolutely compete with his friend and former teammate when it comes to pure footballing skill.
[#ONVOUSCONSEILLE] Destin 2 Pro, par @teamballinfc ! 🎙️
Podcast très sympa dans lequel la team Ballin accueille des personnalités du milieu du football pour parler de leur parcours !
L'ancien marseillais Lemina est l'invité du dernier épisode 👌
➡ https://t.co/qOabgyaqpl pic.twitter.com/C2LNHpFQaF
— Footballogue⭐️⭐️ (@Footballogue) May 25, 2020
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Man, you really love PSG! Is not about Lemina! Lemina is an ordinary player who wants to be promoted by the press! Is not to blame! Funny is the frequency of attempts to compare Messi with Neymar! They simply cannot be compared!
“Divide et impera” is not working for these two players because they are very good friends! But you can try again!