The Brazilian was stunned that Messi, who is battling Cristiano Ronaldo for the title of Liga’s top scorer, allowed him to take last weekend’s spot-kick.
Neymar says that Barcelona team-mate Lionel Messi is not only teaching him how to become a better player, but also a better person. The pair have become friends since Neymar’s 2013 arrival at Camp Nou from Santos but the Brazilian was blown away by the Argentine’s decision to pass up the chance to complete a hat-trick in last weekend’s win at Córdoba. Neymar was quoted in GOAL: “I won’t ever forget this detail. Messi is the best in the world and he could have easily scored a hat-trick and yet he let me take the penalty. I am so very grateful for that gesture. I’m learning so much from Messi every day, both from his football but also these gestures.”
