Football, without Messi, is not football: Neymar

Barcelona forward Neymar has backed his team-mate Lionel Messi following the latter’s tax fraud conviction.

As reported by BBC Sport, Messi received a 21-month suspended sentence after he was found guilty of the aforementioned offence. Speaking about the issue, Neymar, who had been involved in a case focusing on his finances recently too, issued his unequivocal support for the Argentina international.

‘Messi is not only my friend, he is also my idol, and I will always support him,’ said the Brazilian at an event in Praia Grande on Saturday, per Joaquim Piera of Sport. ‘I can imagine what he is going through.’

Neymar is echoing the sentiments outlined by Barcelona on social media on Saturday; they posted the following bulletin, encouraging everyone tied to the club to get behind their talisman: While Messi has been viewed as a deistic figure by many for his stunning football ability and remarkable success with Barcelona, it’s been a rough few months for the 29-year-old.

In addition to the verdict of his trial, the forward also suffered more heartache in the national team jersey. For the third successive summer, Argentina fell at the final hurdle in a major tournament; the summer’s loss to Chile in the Copa America was all the more galling for Messi, as he missed a penalty in the shootout.

Afterward, the Barcelona man said his days were done with the national side. Neymar thinks it would be a shame if that was the case.

‘I respect his decisions. But football, without Leo, is not football,’ said the 24-year-old. ‘It is very difficult to conceive of football without Leo.’

Indeed, with Neymar, Messi and Luis Suarez, Barcelona arguably have the finest attacking setup the game has ever seen. These numbers from Bleacher Report UK show just how much they’ve prospered in front of goal:

The La Liga president, Javier Tebas, has expressed his concern that Messi could leave Barcelona due to the problems he’s encountered recently, per Samuel Lovett of the Independent. However, Neymar seems set to stay at Barca for the long haul after agreeing to a new contract.

The Brazil skipper admitted there was interest in him from elsewhere, although he’s delighted to have signed on for the long term with the Blaugrana. ‘I am very happy,’ said Neymar of the renewal. ‘It is true that there were various proposals, but my wish has always been to stay.’

It’ll be fascinating to see how Neymar fares following this new deal. After all, it’s been a testing summer for Messi, and as such, it would be no surprise if he was to begin the La Liga campaign a little jaded. The Brazilian showed at times last term he can be the main man at the Camp Nou when his team-mate was injured, and there will be expectation for him to improve again.

First, Neymar has the Olympics to negotiate in Rio de Janeiro. He sat out the Copa America to concentrate on the Games, which means there will be plenty of pressure on the Selecao skipper to lead his team to gold. After some time off and with his future settled on the domestic front, expect the Barca man to light up the tournament.