A teary-eyed Neymar spoke candidly about his time at Barcelona and the impact of Lionel Messi.

The 28-year-old Brazilian forward arrived at the Spanish club from Santos in 2013 and made 123 appearances and scored 68 times during his four-year stint at the Camp Nou.

Neymar recalled his experience with the Barca captain, saying that he was there to support him at an important point in his life.

Advert

"Honestly, it's difficult, very difficult for me to talk about Messi, because it was very special for me at Barcelona, I say this to everybody," he told Rede Globo's Esporte Espetacular.

"At the moment when I needed the most support, the best player in the world arrived and gave me a hand. He said: 'Come here, I'm here to help you.'"

According to the Paris Saint-Germain star, the six-time Ballon d'Or winner also told him not to be "shy" and that he shouldn't be afraid of "anyone at the club."

Credit: PA

Advert

Neymar left Barcelona for the French club in 2017 for a world-record transfer fee of €222m.

In 2018, Messi revealed that he would love to have the Brazil international back at the club.

"I think it is complicated how Neymar would leave PSG," he told Marca at the time.

Credit: PA

Advert

"We would love him to come back, as a player and for the dressing room.

"We're friends. We had some good experiences together and others not so much. But PSG are not going to let Neymar walk away."

Advert

Should Neymar have left Barcelona?