“We lived through hell” - When Neymar opened up on him and Lionel Messi being ‘unfairly targeted’ at PSG
Back in September 2023, Neymar opened up about how he and Lionel Messi were treated while they played for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). This came after the duo had made the decision to leave Europe, with the Brazilian going to Saudi Arabia, and his Argentine counterpart heading for the USA.
In the two years they spent together in Paris, the duo helped PSG win three trophies, including consecutive league titles. However, this did little to quell the fan unrest that saw them live "through hell", in Neymar's words. The Brazilian superstar shared his story in an interview with Globo (via The Guardian):
“I was very happy for the year [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.”
It was a difficult end to their time at PSG for Lionel Messi and Neymar. Both players received a fair amount of boos from unhappy fans as they failed to win the Champions League, a trophy that has eluded the French champions. The Brazilian forward revealed that they tried their best, but it simply wasn't to be:
“We get upset, because we’re not there for nothing, we’re there to do our best, [to] be champions, try to make history. That’s why we started playing together again, we came together there so we could make history. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it.”
He concluded, opining that Lionel Messi getting targeted was unfair:
“He’s a guy who trains, who fights, if he loses he gets angry and he was unfairly targeted, in my opinion.”
Messi has since enjoyed a blistering start to life in the USA, where he has already led Inter Miami to win the Leagues Cup in 2023. His Brazilian counterpart has not had it easy with his move to the Middle East, which came with a season-ending injury that has put him out of contention for nearly a year.
How many trophies did Lionel Messi and Neymar win together?
After Neymar moved from Santos to Barcelona in 2013, he enjoyed an impressive partnership with Lionel Messi. They won the Supercopa de Espana in 2013, while winning three consecutive Copas del Rey.
They also won the La Liga title twice consecutively, while picking up the UEFA Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup in 2015. While the Brazilian superstar left for PSG in 2017, Messi joined him soon after and they continued in their winning ways.
The duo won three trophies together while in Paris, alongside Kylian Mbappe. However, they were unable to win continentally, only managing to secure domestic dominance.