Neymar says playing for PSG with Messi was 'hell'

Brazilian superstar Neymar Jr. did not hold back when he described his time at Paris Saint-Germain FC alongside Lionel Messi as "hell" for both of them. The former FC Barcelona teammates reunited at the Parc des Princes in 2021, but have since made their exits this summer.

Neymar was first to join the Ligue 1 giants in 2017 in a record-breaking deal worth €222 million (£190m/$240m). However, the much hyped transfer did not translate into Champions League success, which is known to be the club's ultimate goal. They did not have a problem winning consecutive Ligue 1 titles for much of Neymar's tenure, but Europe's top prize continued to be elusive.

Messi's arrival in the summer of 2021 was also news that grabbed headlines all over the world. He had widely been expected to play his entire career at Barcelona, but the club's financial troubles left them with no choice but to let go of their then-captain, whom they could no longer afford.

PSG swooped in very quickly to sign the Argentine, and many believed that he could be the key to finally lead them to the coveted UEFA Champions League victory.

However, Messi's first season with the club was mostly underwhelming. He was sidelined a number of times due to injuries and also spent a lot of time travelling across the globe for international duty.

However, his efforts for Argentina did lead to massive success. Midway through his second season with the PSG, Messi led Argentina to glory at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He won the greatest prize on the international stage after also winning the Copa America in 2021.

While he was gathering accolades for his national team, PSG fans were getting impatient. The same was happening for Neymar, who has also endured numerous long spells in the sidelines due to injuries during his six seasons with the club. Neymar was often criticised for his actions outside of the pitch, even though he insisted that he took his training seriously and his personal life had little to do with how professional he actually is.

At the end of his two-year contract with PSG, Messi left as a free agent and joined Major League soccer side Inter Miami. He has since been thriving in the United States, taking the competition by storm and leading the club to the first trophy in their history after only two months.

Meanwhile, Neymar asked for a transfer last month and was able to complete his move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal. The club was linked with Messi earlier in the summer before the Argentine opted to answer David Beckham's call instead.

Now that they have both left Paris, Neymar weighed in on their reunion and how they failed to make history together. In an interview with Globo, Neymar said about Messi: "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. We get upset, because we're not there for nothing, we're there to do our best, 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."

Messi has also been vocal about his struggles in PSG, saying that he is much happier now that he is playing in the MLS. Both players endured whistles from their home crowd on numerous occasions, and last week, PSG fans even unfurled banners speaking of their relief to see both players go.

Neymar thought that the fans' treatment of the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner was unfair, and he deserved a better exit. Either way, it seems as though both the players and the club's fans are happy to have cut ties.