Neymar insists he and Lionel Messi ‘went through hell’ together at Paris Saint-Germain before their summer departure… while former Arsenal star Robert Pires fires back, describing the pair as ‘cry babies’
- Lionel Messi and Neymar both left Paris Saint-Germain in the summer period
- The pair failed to deliver the Champions League trophy to the French giants
- Robert Pires has fired back at the pair following comments from Neymar
Robert Pires has called Neymar and Lionel Messi ‘cry babies’ after comments from the Brazilian that the pair have ‘lived through hell’ at Paris Saint-Germain.
Both players left the club this summer after a sour end to their time in Ligue 1, with fans turning against them following their exit from the Champions League to Bayern Munich in the round of 16.
Messi joined Inter Miami, where he has already made a huge impact helping them win the MLS Cup, with a final against Houston Dynamo in the US Open Cup final later this month.
Neymar, meanwhile, was one of many players to transfer to the Saudi Pro League this summer, but has yet to make his debut for Al Hilal due to an ankle injury.
The 31-year-old has opened up about his and Messi’s departure from Ligue 1, stating his former team-mate left PSG in a way “he didn’t deserve”.
Neymar (right) claims he and Lionel Messi (left) have ‘lived through hell’ at Paris Saint-Germain
The pair enjoyed the domestic season but failed to make it to the Champions League, despite being part of a trio that included Kylian Mbappé
Robert Pires has fired back at the pair, describing them as “cry babies” on French television
Neymar, according to AS Sportssaid, “I was very happy with the year he (Messi) had, but also very sad, because he lived on both sides of the coin.
“He realized a dream with Argentina and won everything, but at PSG he lived through hell. We both did.
“Messi left (PSG) in a way he didn’t deserve from a football perspective. Everything he is, everything he does, everyone who knows him, he is a man who trains, fights, when he loses, he is angry and wrongly accused.
“It made me very happy that he won the World Cup. Messi deserved to ‘end’ his career this way.’
Former Arsenal star and French World Cup winner Pires shot back at the pair, questioning whether they were coping with the pressure at PSG.
“I call that crying babies,” the French 1998 World Cup winner told Canal+ Buy football france.
‘Being professional means being able to withstand the pressure. Sometimes when you play well you are happy when you are praised. If you don’t, that’s part of the game.’
Pires then looked back on his own career and talked about how he handled the pressure at Arsenal.
Messi left PSG for Inter Miami, where he has already made a huge impact for the MLS squad
Neymar joined Al Hilal but has yet to appear for them due to an ankle injury
He added: “When I joined Arsenal I had to replace Marc Overmars and they said I was hopeless. I kept my mouth shut, kept working and in the end it paid off.’
While Messi and Neymar both achieved domestic success at PSG, they failed to give the club the trophy the fans really wanted to win: the Champions League.
In May, a group of fans was recorded outside Neymar’s home chanting for him to leave the Parc des Princes, while Messi was regularly jeered during end-of-season games.
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