Luis Enrique responds to Neymar claiming he lived through hell with Lionel Messi at PSG
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) manager Luis Enrique has opened up about Neymar's comments about his and Lionel Messi's stint at the club.
Messi left the Parisian club earlier this summer after the expiration of his contract and joined Major League Soccer (MLS) side Inter Miami CF. Neymar, meanwhile, also left PSG to join Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal.
In a recent interview with Globo, the Brazilian winger said that he and Lionel Messi 'lived through hell' at the Parc des Princes (via the Mirror):
"I was very happy for the year he [Messi] had, but at the same time very sad, because he lived both sides of the coin, he went to heaven with the Argentina team, won everything in recent years, and with Paris he lived hell. We lived through hell, both he and I."
Neymar asserted that he and Lionel Messi gave their best for PSG. He added that while it was unfortunate that they couldn't bring more success to the club, they deserved to be treated better.
"We get upset, because we're not there for nothing, we're there to do our best, be champions, try to make history, that's why we started playing together again, we came together there so we could make history," he said.
The Brazilian continued:
"Unfortunately, we didn't make it. Messi left in a way that, for football, he didn't deserve. For everything he is, everything he does, anyone who knows him knows, he is a guy who trains, who fights, if he loses he gets angry, and he was unfairly treated in my opinion.
"But at the same time I was very happy that he won the World Cup. As you said, football was fair this time, since the Brazilian team lost, Messi deserved to end his career like this."
Luis Enrique, who was appointed PSG manager earlier this summer after Christophe Galtier's sacking shared his thoughts on Neymar's comments, saying:
"These are personal experiences. I don't want to get into that. I can tell you about my experience: I'm absolutely delighted. I feel like I'm in charge of a rather unique team with a club that trusts me 100 per cent."
Under Enrique, PSG have won two and drawn two of their opening four Ligue 1 games this season.
Neymar and Lionel Messi's numbers for PSG
The Brazilian forward moved to Paris from Barcelona for a world-record transfer fee of €222 million in 2017. Despite struggling with consistent injury issues, Neymar scored 118 goals and provided 77 assists in 173 games for PSG. He helped the club win five Ligue 1 titles, among other trophies.
Lionel Messi, meanwhile, joined the Parisians after leaving Barcelona as a free agent in 2021. He had a tough first campaign, registering just 11 goals and 15 assists in 34 games across competitions.
The Argentine bounced back last season, scoring 21 goals and providing 20 assists in 41 games across competitions.
Neymar and Lionel Messi, however, were expected to help PSG win their maiden UEFA Champions League title but they failed to do so. This effectively led to their falling out with the club's supporters as they were even booed at the Parc des Princes.