Celtic defender Anthony Ralston chooses between PSG superstars Lionel Messi and Neymar
Celtic right-back Anthony Ralston chose Paris Saint-Germain's (PSG) Lionel Messi when asked to pick between the Argentine and Neymar Jr in an online Q&A session, as per the Glasgow Times.
Ralston notably came up against Neymar when Celtic faced PSG in the UEFA Champions League group stage in 2017. The Scottish full-back, who was making his debut in the competition, was tasked with marking the Brazil international down the right flank.
Ralston bizarrely laughed in the face of the former Barcelona winger in the 77th minute of the match after the latter was shown a yellow card. Neymar responded to the incident by sticking up three fingers to remind the teenager of the scoreline.
PSG scored two more goals and the match ended 5-0 in favor of Les Parisiens, who topped the group after Matchday 6. Celtic were eliminated in the group stage of the Champions League that season after amassing just three points from six games.
Neymar refused to shake Ralston's hand after the full-time whistle. Speaking on the incident with the Brazilian after the match in 2017, Ralston said (via the Scottish Sun):
"If that is the case, and that is the way he wants to be, then fine. I don’t care. Everybody is different, so I won’t lose any sleep over it. It wasn’t a big deal. I won’t dwell on that too much. I didn’t fear the likes of Neymar."
"I just knew I had to play my normal game. I prepared for facing him the way I’d prepare for any normal match."
Ralston is currently a backup for Josip Juranovic under manager Ange Postecoglou and only has one league appearance this season. Now 23, he has four senior caps for Scotland and is on a contract that expires in the summer of 2025.
Neymar, meanwhile, was reunited with Messi in the summer of 2021 when the Argentina icon joined PSG on a free transfer from Barcelona. The two were teammates at Barca between 2013 and 2017.
PSG's new signing on experience of sharing dressing room with Neymar and Lionel Messi
PSG signed Carlos Soler from Valencia this summer for a fee of €21 million including add-ons. So far, he has made three appearances for his new club across all competitions this season - all from the bench.
The Spaniard was recently asked in an interview what it was like to share a dressing room with superstars such as Neymar Jr, Lionel Messi, and Kylian Mbappe. He replied (via FootMercato):
"In the end, they [Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar] are normal people. You realize when you are with them, that you can talk to them, that there is no problem. They are normal people. What happens is that later on the field they decide the game for you."
Soler's most recent outing for Les Parisiens came in the 1-0 Ligue 1 win against Olympique Lyonnais on September 18, where he came on for the last four minutes of the game.