Neymar had a chat with Romario in which he talked about his difficult adaptation and subsequent departure from FC Barcelona (‘the escape of the century’), his talks with Leo Messi in ‘Can Barça’ and his relationship with Kylian Mbappé at PSG.
After Messi arrived at PSG he (Mbappé) was a little jealous. And then there were some fights, a change of behavior
Neymar to Romario
“Mbappé is not boring. I have my things with him, we had a little fight, but he was fundamental for us when he arrived. I called him ‘Golden Boy’. I always played with him, I said he was going to be one one of the best. I always helped him, I talked to him, he came to my house, we had dinner together,” the current player for Al Hilal of the Saudi Pro League explained to ‘O Baixinho’.
Mbappé arrived at PSG from Monaco in 2017, the same year that Neymar moved from Barcelona to PSG in one of the biggest transfers in football history.
Neymar revealed in Romario’s program Mbappé’s alleged envy at PSG after Messi’s signing: “We had some good years of association, but after Messi arrived he (Mbappé) was a little jealous. And then there were some fights, a change in behavior.
Neymar reveals the ego wars at PSG: “If no one runs and no one helps, it is impossible to win anything”
Regarding PSG’s repeated failures in the Champions League, despite their million-dollar signings, Neymar believes that the French team did not know how to control and channel the egos of its stars: “It’s good to have egos, but you have to know that you don’t play alone. There has to be another guy by your side. There were big egos almost everywhere, it can’t work if no one runs and no one helps, it’s impossible to win anything.”
The day Neymar cried and Messi helped him adapt to Spanish football
Neymar, who played for FC Barcelona from 2013 to 2017, spoke to Romario about his tough beginnings in Spain: “I arrived at Barcelona when I was 21 or 22 years old, I had just won the Confederations Cup against Spain. I didn’t feel confident enough to playing there. It was six months without being able to dribble at anyone, doing everything wrong.”
But a talk with Messi helped Neymar overcome the pressure and finally adapt to Barcelona’s demands.
“There was a day that gave me total despair, I went to half-time of the game against Athletic very angry, I started crying. Then Messi knocked on the door and asked me why I was crying, I answered that it was nothing, he said that He was there to help me and that I should play the football that I played at Santos, without pressure. He said that I could count on him, I started to arrive with more confidence, more excited and things started to work,” he recalls. Brazilian.
Neymar confesses why he decided to leave Barça… even though Messi promised him that he would be the best in the world
Neymar explained the ambitions that led him to leave Barcelona after four great seasons in which he won eight titles.
“My motivation was not to win individual awards… I didn’t follow that thought, to be honest. I didn’t leave Barça with the idea of being the best in the world. In my last week in Barcelona, Messi asked me: “Why what are you leaving? Do you want to be the best in the world? I’m going to make you the best in the world.” But it wasn’t that, it was other personal things. Of course, economically PSG was much better than in Barcelona and there were Brazilians who played there (Thiago Silva, Marquinhos, Daniel Alves and Lucas) and They were all my friends. I took a risk, but it wasn’t with the idea of being the best in the world,” he revealed.
Neymar: “The Ballon d’Or is not something that will end my life”
Neymar, who does not hide his ambition to try to win the ‘Ballon d’Or’, did not hesitate to recognize that his best moment as a footballer was at PSG: “My peak, my best moment was at PSG. Playing like I did at PSG , I would definitely win the Ballon d’Or. But I had these injuries, they ended up hurting me. It’s obvious that every player wants to be the Ballon d’Or. But it’s not something that will end my life.”
Neymar (32 years old), who is in the orbit of several MLS teams, did not rule out returning to Brazilian football when his contract with Al Hilal Saudi ends.
