Tennis great Novak Djokovic recently picked his favorite footballer between Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr. The South American pair are two of the best players of their generation, scoring 744 and 360 club goals in their careers, respectively.
They were teammates at Barcelona for four years before the Brazilian moved to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) for a world-record €222 million fee in 2017. The pair reunited in Paris in 2021 when the Argentine joined PSG following the expiry of his deal with Blaugrana. They have shared the pitch for 16362 minutes across 206 appearances for both clubs and combined for 67 goals.
In a recent interview, Djokovic was asked which of the two legendary football players he preferred. In comments via Telegraf, the Serbian superstar said:
Lionel Messi wants Inter Miami to sign 2022 FIFA World Cup winning teammate: Reports
“Yes, Messi for Sure. But I like Neymar tooo.”
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Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr. left PSG in the summer of 2023. The Argentine legend’s contract expired that summer, while the Brazilian star was sold to Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia for a reported €90 million.
“I was very happy for the year he had, but at the same time very sad” – What Neymar Jr said about Lionel Messi joining him at PSG
Last year, Neymar Jr. discussed the feelings he experienced after Lionel Messi joined him at PSG in 2021. The pair first linked up at Barcelona in the summer of 2013 after the Brazilian joined the Catalan side from Santos for a reported €88 million fee.
The pair won the UEFA Champions League, two LaLiga titles, and three Copa del Reys, among other honors, together before the Brazilian star moved to Paris. After he and the World Cup winner left PSG in the summer of 2023, the Brazilian said via ESPN:
“I was very happy for the year he 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.”
The Brazilian concluded:
“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.”
Neymar Jr. has struggled with injury since leaving PSG to join Al-Hilal in 2023. He has played just 428 minutes across seven games since arriving in the Near East. On the other hand, Lionel Messi has been fabulous for Inter Miami, becoming the MLS franchise’s record goalscorer with 34 goals and 18 assists in 39 games.
