Paris Saint-Germain star Lionel Messi has admitted he would have liked to have more fun in Barcelona with current club teammate Neymar.
The pair were reunited at the Parc des Princes in 2021, four years after Neymar left Barca for PSG in a world record move. Before that, though, they formed the lethal 'MSN' strike-force with Luis Suarez which helped the Catalan club win the Champions League in the 2014-15 season.
Barcelona's 2015 triumph remains their most recent Champions League victory, while PSG failed to use a front three of Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe to their advantage in last year's competition. Now, in a week which has seen Messi pressed on the Mbappe situation amid reports of a rift between the French star and fellow forward Neymar, he has reflected on those years at Camp Nou.
“Neymar and I know each other by heart, we spent a lot of time in Barcelona," Messi told TUDN Mexico (via Get French Football News). "I would have liked to have more fun with him in Barcelona, but life brought us together in Paris.
"We are happy to be together. I love playing with him and being with him every day.”
After eight games of the new season, PSG sit top of the table with 22 points from a possible 24 and a huge 26 goals scored. Messi and Neymar have played a big part in that, each recording seven assists for the reigning champions.
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Messi's comments come at a time where there appears to be tension between Neymar and Mbappe. The Brazil star dodged a question about his club teammate during the international break, while Mbappe's own comments about on-pitch freedom pointed to a divide between club and country.
Indeed, Messi has reportedly been forced to act as a mediator between the pair, who are believed to have fallen out over the order of penalty takers for Christophe Galtier's side. Despite this, PSG have also started strongly in Europe, with Mbappe and Neymar dovetailing well in a victory over Juventus before the Ligue 1 side saw off Maccabi Haifa in their second group game.
“It’s a difficult competition to win because the best don’t always win, and it’s decided in small details," the Argentina star said of PSG's chances. "We are preparing for the arrival of these difficult matches.”
PSG won all four of their home games in last season's Champions League, but were unable to earn a single victory on the road in the competition under former manager Mauricio Pochettino. They were eliminated by Real Madrid in the last 16, with a hat-trick from Karim Benzema helping the eventual European champions come back from a 2-0 aggregate deficit.
