Football
9y

Neymar: Playing alongside Lionel Messi for Barcelona is an 'honour'

Neymar believes Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi is the best in the world and says playing alongside him is an "honour."

The pair are set to be on opposing teams on Saturday when Brazil and Argentina meet in an international friendly in Beijing.

Neymar, speaking at a news conference ahead of the clash, said he would prefer not to be lining up against his club teammate, but is hopeful the Selecao will find a way to stop him.

"Playing alongside him is a great honour, he is the best in the world. Playing against him is not very nice, but I hope I can do better than him," Neymar said.

"We hope he does not have a good day and does not touch the ball. Seriously, we have said that we have to be careful because you must always be on alert with a great player.

"We cannot let him have time to think or start his mazy runs. Well, we basically cannot let him do anything. But we do have to win this game."

Neymar came in for criticism at Barcelona following his debut campaign last term, with some saying he and Messi were unable to link up effectively.

However, the duo have silenced any doubters this season, having scored 15 goals between them already, and Neymar is confident they will only get better.

"I am impressed by Messi for what he does on the field -- the assists, his play, the goals. In my opinion he is the best in the world," he added. "We understand each other and every time we connect more. Hopefully we can grow to help Barcelona."

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