Barcelona: Lionel Messi has said that Neymar is determined to return to Barcelona and the Argentine wants him to turn them into an all-conquering force again. However, Messi is also quick to point out that, he does not believe they are good enough at the moment to win the Champions League title.
Barca launched an offensive to bring the Brazilian back last year from Paris St Germain (PSG) yet ultimately failed to agree a price with the Ligue 1 champions. But Messi said Thursday that the 28-year-old Neymar is looking forward to coming back to the Catalans.
“He (Neymar) is very excited about returning, he has always shown that he regrets what happened. He did a lot to return and that could be the first step he took to try and come back,” the Argentine was quoted as saying by the Spanish newspaper ‘Mundo Deportivo’.
“Neymar has always been a top level player and different to the rest. He is unpredictable, he takes players on and he scores lots of goals. On a sporting level Neymar is one of the best in the world and I’d love for him to come back,” Messi added.
Neymar formed a mesmeric partnership with Messi and Luis Suarez for three seasons, including winning a remarkable treble in 2015. But in the middle of the club’s pre-season tour of 2017, the Brazilian joined PSG for a world record fee of 222 million euros ($239.60 million), angering supporters and teammates.
“It’s normal that the fans felt that way because of how he left, and I was also upset about it at the time and we tried to convince him to not go,” Messi informed. “But at the end of the day we all want to win and have the best players and so do the fans. As I’ve said before, he’s one of the best players around and gave us a lot on the pitch,” Messi added.
Barca trail Real Madrid by one point in the title race, but Messi is more worried about their chances of winning the Champions League, which they have not lifted since 2015. They visit Serie A side Napoli in the last 16, first leg Tuesday.
“This year us and Real Madrid have both been inconsistent in the title race but I think we’ll be fighting each other until the end of the season,” asserted Messi, who is Barca’s all-time top scorer and their most decorated player.
Barcelona has been hit recently by a series of setbacks on the field and conflicts inside the club. And Messi has had enough of it.
“We have only had problem after problem since January. What we need is some calm and to think about soccer, to think about the games, and to try to improve,” Messi stated.
“At least we need to isolate ourselves (from the noise) because, if not, there are going to be complicated months ahead… We must be patient and hopefully we can turn this around,” the Argentina player added.
Since the start of the year, Barcelona has lost the Spanish Super Cup, been eliminated from the Copa del Rey, and ceded the lead in the Spanish league to Real Madrid.
The run of poor results has not been stemmed by a coaching change. Quique Setién replaced Ernesto Valverde and so far the team have struggled to adapt to the physical demands of his high-pressure playing style.
Injuries have also played their part. Striker Luis Suárez is out for several weeks and winger Ousmane Dembele for the rest of the season, forcing the club to make the curious signing of Denmark forward Martin
Agencies