Brazil and Barcelona legend Dani Alves has compared Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) superstar Lionel Messi with his club teammate Neymar, claiming that Messi is more focussed on scoring goals.
Both Messi and Neymar are in fine form this season. Operating as the two creative outlets behind star striker Kylian Mbappe in a 3-4-2-1 setup, the pair has helped PSG embark on an impressive 20-game unbeaten start to the season.
While the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner has registered 12 goals and 14 assists in 18 games this campaign, Neymar has 14 goals and 11 assists in the same number of outings.
Speaking to Brazilian news outlet Globo, Alves highlighted a minor dissimilarity between his two former Barcelona teammates, saying:
"Neymar and Messi are similar. Players who can see a little more than the rest, with one particular feature: Messi is obsessed with scoring goals. All he does is think about scoring goals. Neymar is more juggling, Cirque du Soleil."
Alves said that Neymar, a former Santos man, has a defensive mechanism inside him, which helps him perform better than most. He added:
"Ney has an animal inside, which when people touch it, they want to harm it, it comes out. Then you're dead, you can't stop it. It's his weapon of defence. When I played against the two, I told my teammates: don't beat them up; don't let the animal inside these guys wake up."
Alves, who lifted seven trophies alongside the two South American icons at the Camp Nou, labelled them as geniuses. He concluded:
"You can't stop them. If you pinch them, they ruin your day. They are idols of kids who want to play football, and that's a lot of weight for them to carry this backpack. But it's their problem that they decided to be geniuses."
Both players are expected to feature for PSG in their Ligue 1 clash against Lorient at the Stade du Moustoir on Sunday (November 6).
Carlos Soler opens up on sharing dressing room with Lionel Messi and Neymar
Speaking to Radio Estadio (via Le10Sport), PSG midfielder Carlos Soler shared his thoughts on rubbing shoulders with Messi and Neymar in Paris. He said:
"It's a pleasure to play with the best in the world, I suffered with them at Barca, and now they are my teammates. I'm happy to play with them and with this whole club and the fans."
Both forwards were vital members of Barcelona's squad between 2013 and 2017, registering 464 goal contributions between themselves. Soler, 25, arrived at the Parc des Princes from Valencia in a deal worth up to €21 million on deadline day this summer.