“They change all the time, so we lost it” - Luis Suarez on why he no longer has WhatsApp group with Lionel Messi and Neymar
Striker Luis Suarez has explained why he no longer has a WhatsApp group with his former Barcelona attacking teammates Lionel Messi and Neymar.
Suarez, 36, is set to leave Brazilian side Gremio as a free agent following the conclusion of the 2023 season. The Uruguay international bagged 26 goals and 17 assists in 53 games across competitions. That includes 17 goals and 11 assists in 33 games in the league, where Gremio finished second, two points behind champions Palmeiras.
Along with Messi and Neymar, Suarez formed one of the most fearsome attacking troickas in history. In three hugely successful seasons at Barcelona between 2014 and 2017, the trio amassed goals aplenty.
During the ESPN Bola de Prata ceremony, Suarez said about the WhatsApp group he used to have with Messi and Neymar (as per ESPN):
"We had a WhatsApp group, but Leo changed his number. Ney also changed his number. ... They change all the time, so we lost it. ... But we talk a lot individually."
The 'MSN' (Messi-Suarez-Neymar) disbanded when Neymar left for PSG in 2017 on a reported record transfer of €222 million. Three years later, Suarez joined Atletico Madrid before Messi followed him out of Barca a year later, joining PSG on a free transfer in 2021.
How did Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez fare together at Barcelona?
Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Neymar enjoyed stupendous success together at Barcelona. During their first season together, in 2014-15, the three collectively struck 122 times as Barca won their second continental treble.
Messi contributed 58 of those goals, along witth 27 assists. Suarez racked up 25 goals and 21 assists, while Neymar bagged 39 goals and seven assists. It broke the record of 118 goals set by the Real Madrid trio of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuan in the 2011-12 season.
A season later, MSN would smash their own record, scoring a collective 131 goals and 65 assists, as Barca won the league. In their last season together, in 2016-17, they compiled 110 goals and 49 assists, with Barca winning the Copa del Rey and the Supercopa de Espana.