Barcelona (AFP)

Lionel Messi assures him: the Paris superstar SG Neymar "wants to return" to FC Barcelona, ​​said the Argentinian in an interview with the Spanish daily Mundo Deportivo published on Thursday.

"He really wants to come back, he always showed that he was sorry to be gone," said the six-time Ballon d'Or, who played alongside "Ney" between 2013 and 2017.

"I have said it many times, Ney is one of the best players in the world, and I would like him to come back," he continued. "He plays at a very high level. He is a different player , able to create imbalances, strong in one-on-one, and to score. "

The Catalan N. 10 also returned to the episode of Neymar's departure from PSG, which paid in the summer of 2017 the amount of its release clause (222 M EUR), during the most expensive transfer in the history of the football.

"To me too (as for the supporters), it hurt at the time. We tried to hold it back. But in the end, players like socios, we all want to win and have the best players. Neymar is the one of the best and he brought us a lot on the field, "said Messi.

The playmaker also talked about his future, as his team is going through a difficult period, marked by a change of coach in January and tensions behind the scenes around sports director Eric Abidal. But nothing that persuades the "Pulga" to leave.

"It is my intention to continue in this club. I want to win another Champions League, I want to win other Ligas, and that has always been my wish," assured the player under contract until 2021.

"I have always had the opportunity (to leave), not just because of my release clause. On many occasions there have been many interested clubs willing to pay for it, but at no point did I want to leaving, and today is the same. I repeat. If the club wants me to stay, there is no problem, "he continued.

Messi also went back on his relations with Abidal, against whom he had already rebelled in early February, causing a crisis at the club. The Argentinian had little taste for the Frenchman's declarations that "many players were not satisfied" with coach Ernesto Valverde, who has since been replaced by Quique Setién.

"His words hurt me because he attacked the locker room, and also on a personal level. I couldn't let the sports director attack me like this," he said.

© 2020 AFP