Paris Saint-Germain forward Lionel Messi is now already two months into his two-year contract, with an option for a third, with the Parisian capital club.
The 34-year-old’s arrival in summer dawned bright and early with heady excitement and pageantry with the giddying prospects of him playing alongside Neymar Jr. and Kylian Mbappé in a newly-established, most lethal frontal assault combination.
Messi opened up on his interactions with his PSG team-mates to the Spanish media outlet Sport, elaborating on reuniting with his former FC Barcelona strike partner and good mate Neymar also on getting to know his 22-year-old new superstar team-mate Kylian Mbappe. The Argentine forward discussed candidly his relationship with both players, particularly with the young French World Cup winner, two months into his tenure with PSG.
“The truth is that the entire wardrobe is spectacular. They made things very easy for me. I have had a long-standing relationship with Ney; we kept talking despite not playing together,” Messi said.
“With Kylian at the beginning, it was weird because we didn’t know if he was staying or leaving. He was with his things. Luckily we are getting to know each other more, both on and off the field. We get along spectacularly. There is a good and healthy group in the locker room. The truth is that very well.”
When the Spanish media outlet posed the question to Messi on which trio – the Barcelona one with Messi, Neymar and Luis Suárez, or PSG’s version comprising Messi, Neymar, and Mbappé – being the better one, the PSG forward elaborated on the differences, nuances and dynamics that Suárez and Mbappé bring to the center-forward position in both strategic formations.
“It cannot be bought. They are different. Luis is another type of 9, with different characteristics from Mbappé. Kylian was playing the last few years outside. This one and I don’t remember if the previous one too, is playing more than nine,” Messi said.
“Luis is more of a scorer than before, as a center-forward. Kylian is more about coming to play, being powerful, and killing you with spaces. The truth is that it changes the way of being of the center-forward. It is difficult to compare.”
Barcelona were highly successful in being able to capture a multiple times UEFA Champions League-winning trio, and the current PSG trident hopes to successfully replicate the same this season as that’s clear the main priority the team has been saddled with.
“I was lucky to be on that Barça trident, which was wonderful, and I hope that with this we can achieve the same as with the previous one,” Messi added.