"Leo [Messi] let me kick penalties so that I won the prize" - Luis Suarez opens up on his relationship with PSG superstars Lionel Messi and Neymar
Nacional striker Luis Suarez has reminisced about his close friendship with former Barcelona teammates and current Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) superstars Lionel Messi and Neymar.
Suarez, 35, formed a deadly offensive trio with his fellow South Americans at Barcelona between 2014 and 2017. After arriving from Liverpool for a fee of ยฃ75 million, the Uruguayan became the Blaugrana's third-highest goal-scorer with 198 goals in 283 matches.
Playing alongside Messi and Neymar, Suarez helped the Catalan giants lift nine trophies in three years, including a prestigious treble in the 2014-15 season. He built a strong connection with the PSG forwards, who supported him both on and off the pitch at Barcelona.
Messi, Neymar & Suรกrez combine twice #OTD in 2015! ๐ฅ
๐๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ผ ๐ถ๐ป #๐จ๐๐ ๐ต๐ถ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐? ๐ค https://t.co/UkK1hQtzYW
Speaking to ESPN Uruguay, Suarez shed light on his relationship with the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner and revealed how their friendship blossomed out of sincerity back in 2014. He said:
"Leo is a friend and a special friend because of what he means to my career. And I think we help each other. When I arrived at Barcelona, I told him that I was coming to win, not to take the place of anyone. He realized that what I was telling him was sincere, and the relationship grew."
Lauding both Messi and Neymar, he added:
"What makes you happy about that stage was the happiness that the three of us had for some goal made by one of the other two and the humility that there was when it came to sharing things."
He continued:
"They made me win a Golden Boot. Leo let me kick penalties so that I won the prize, or for example, both reached the goal and always looked for where I was. I value that very much. There was no ego from any of us, the three of us were content and happy, and the rest of the team ran for us because they realized that."
Suarez won the Pichichi Trophy in the 2015-16 season by scoring 40 goals in 35 La Liga matches. Overall, he registered 83 goal contributions in 53 games during the aforementioned campaign for Barcelona.
in 2016...
#OnThisDay ๐ in 2016...
๐ฅ @LuisSuarez9 and #Messi came up with a legendary way to score a penalty! โฝ๏ธ https://t.co/RDrhxSGecC
Meanwhile, both Messi and Neymar are in fine form for PSG. While the Argentine has registered eight goals and as many assists in 13 games, the Brazilian has contributed 11 goals and nine assists in the same number of games.
PSG are next scheduled to lock horns with Stade de Reims at the Stade Auguste Delaune in a Ligue 1 contest on Saturday (October 8).
PSG's Lionel Messi heaps praise on Neymar
Speaking to TUDN (via Asianet Newsable), Messi stated that he is thrilled to play with his PSG teammate Neymar on a regular basis. He said:
"With Ney, we know each other by heart, we had a blast together at Barca. And then, life allowed us to find ourselves in Paris. I am delighted to play with him, to rub shoulders with him on a daily basis!"
During their time in Paris, the pair has lifted two trophies together, the Ligue 1 title and the Trophรฉe des Champions.