Neymar says he and Messi 'lived through hell' at PSG

Brazil international Neymar has claimed that he and Lionel Messi “lived through hell” during their time at Paris Saint-Germain. The dynamic duo both departed the Ligue 1 champions this summer after varied success in the French capital. Messi joined Inter Miami as a free agent, while Neymar moved to Saudi side Al-Hilal in a $98 million transfer.

Speaking with Brazilian outlet Globo, Neymar was asked about Messi’s triumph with Argentina at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. “I was very happy for the year [Messi] had, but at the same time very sad, because he lived both sides of the coin,” proclaimed Neymar. “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.”

PSG fans targeted Messi and Neymar after failed UCL run

Both superstars received backlash from select PSG supporters throughout last season. This was mostly due to the club not performing well in the UEFA Champions League. Messi and Neymar were previously expected to bring a European title to Paris; however, the team was knocked out of the round of 16 in both of Messi’s seasons in France.

“We get upset, because we’re not there for nothing. We’re there to do our best, [to] be champions, try to make history,” continued Neymar. “That’s why we started playing together again, we came together there so we could make history. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it.”

Duo departed Paris as club completes rebuild

PSG essentially completed an overhaul of the squad during the summer transfer window. The club spent around $375 million on 13 signings for new manager Luis Enrique. PSG brass countered this massive spending by selling nine senior players including Neymar, while also allowing Messi and Sergio Ramos to leave as free agents.

Messi hit the ground running with his new club since joining Miami in July. The MLS side has already collected the Leagues Cup title and is also set to face Houston Dynamo in the U.S. Open Cup final on Sep 27. Neymar, on the other hand, has yet to make his Al-Hilal debut due to an injury. However, the club is currently top of the Saudi Pro League table at the moment.

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