(PLO) – Al Hilal striker Neymar shared about meeting his relative Lionel Messi, after the golden days of both making waves in major European teams.
These two stars played together for four years at Barcelona (2013-2017), and two more years at PSG (2021-2023) before Messi moved to Inter Miami in the American Professional League (MLS), and Neymar joined Saudi Pro League (SPL) last summer.
Currently, at 32 years old, Neymar is out of action due to a season-long cruciate ligament injury. His last match for the SPL leaders was a 3-0 win over FC Nassaji in the AFC Champions League.
Recently, the Brazilian opened up about playing with Messi, when he told ESPN Argentina: “Messi and I have the opportunity to play together again, right? I hope one day we will reunite and played football together before retiring from the field. Messi is a great player, everyone knows. I think Messi is happy in Miami. My friend is happy, so am I.”
Neymar and Lionel Messi have achieved many successes together, especially in the Barcelona team that won many titles in the mid-2010s. In a total of 206 matches in tournaments for both of them, this is also the most matches played together. , Messi and Neymar together celebrated 67 goals, Neymar being the assister for 40 of them. At PSG, they won two Ligue 1 titles but were unable to replicate their brilliant performance at Barcelona, with the Paris team losing twice in the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League.
In the four years they played together at Barcelona, stars Messi and Neymar won a continental treble and two La Liga titles, among many other awards. Besides the presence of Neymar and Messi at Barca, it is impossible not to mention the important role of Luis Suarez. There is an interesting thing when he was at Barca, the three stars Messi, Neymar, and Suarez who used to date each other will wear the same shirt when they reach the end of their careers and retire at the same time.
All three are now veterans, and Suarez recently joined Messi’s Inter Miami, sparking a reunion between them. The reunion of this trio in the US is good news for the MLS tournament, while also contributing to strengthening Inter Miami’s status and influence at home and abroad. However, this is not easy at the moment as Neymar is still under contract with Al Hilal and his move to the US will face many problems.
Furthermore, Neymar is still in the process of recovering from the serious cruciate ligament injury he suffered shortly after returning to Al Hilal. He also likely won’t be able to attend the Copa America with Brazil this summer.
Al Hilal Club played well without Neymar, as they led the Saudi Pro League with 9 points more than the second place team, after 22 matches, only losing points twice – in two draws – throughout the season. Brazil’s all-time top scorer had scored once and had three assists in five games before being injured.
Meanwhile, Messi has kicked off his second season at Inter Miami, with three goals and two assists in three MLS games. The last time they appeared, Messi and Suarez both scored twice and helped Inter Miami sublimate with a 5-0 victory over Orlando City. This victory helps Inter Miami maintain the top position in the MLS 2024 Eastern region rankings, with 7 points after 3 matches.
