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French sports minister Amelia Oudia Castera has criticized Neymar for saying that he and Lionel Messi endured hell during their Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) stint.
In a recent interview with Ge Globo, the Brazilian made a shocking statement as he claimed that he and Messi were vilified at the Parisian club by the fans. Castera has now hit back at the Al-Hilal forward for his comments, saying (via Mundo Deportivo):
“They are frustrated for not having shone more in Paris, particularly in the Champions League.”
PSG had one of the most fearsome attacking trios in world football with Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappe in their ranks. However, the team were unable to perform at their best level. Despite winning two Ligue 1 titles in the trident's two seasons together, they failed to get past the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League.
Whenever the team underperformed, the superstar trio, naturally, came under scrutiny, which might be one of the reasons behind the club's former number 10's recent comments.
"We lived in hell, both he and I"- Neymar on his and Lionel Messi's PSG stint
Neymar and Lionel Messi reunited at PSG when the Argentine made the move to the French capital as a free agent in the summer of 2021. However, their partnership never reached the heights from their Barca days in Paris.
The South American duo were often made the scapegoat and endured fans' backlash when the level of results dropped. Referring to the matter, the Brazilian recently said:
“I was very happy for the year he [Messi] had, but at the same time very sad, because he lived on both sides of the coin. He reached heaven with the Argentina team, he won everything in recent years, and he lived through hell with PSG. We live in hell, both he and I."
Neymar added:
"Messi left (from PSG) in a way that, speaking football-wise, he did not deserve. For everything he is, everything he does, anyone who knows him knows, he is a guy who trains, who fights, if he loses he gets angry and he was unfairly accused, in my opinion. He made me very happy that he won the World Cup."
The Brazilian shared the pitch with Lionel Messi 45 times during their time together at PSG. The duo combined in 11 goals. Neither of the pair, though, is currently at the Ligue 1 club.
