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Former Barcelona star Rafinha Alcantara has claimed that Neymar was better than Lionel Messi in training. He said that the Argentine is the best player in history, but the Brazilian was on another level in training.
Speaking to the media, Rafinha claimed that Neymar was the best player at Barcelona when they won the UEFA Champions League in 2015. He believes that the Brazilian is the best player he has seen in training and said: (via The Touchline)
"I enjoyed watching Neymar more than Messi. Neymar was our best player when we won the Champions League, but it's hard to talk about Messi because he's the best in history... In training, I didn't see anyone else doing the things Neymar did, not even Messi."
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Neymar and Lionel Messi scored 10 goals each in the 2014/15 UEFA Champions League, while the Argentine also had six assists. The Brazilian scored the final goal in the 3-1 win over Juventus in the final.
Rafinha also spoke about working with Messi and Neymar at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and said earlier this month (via FootBoom):
"During pre-season training, right at the first session with the full squad, I remember thinking: 'This system is not going to last.' Take, for example, goalkeepers - Keylor Navas or Gianluigi Donnarumma. Whoever sits on the bench will be angry. Expect arguments, heated discussions with the coach. Defense? Marquinhos is untouchable, a rock; Presnel Kimpembe is a PSG legend, and then there's Sergio Ramos. Three elite center-backs, all hungry for minutes."
"Up front - Angel Di Maria, Mbappe, Neymar, Messi. Who do you put on the bench? Di Maria? A tough choice - he has a huge influence in the dressing room. It just can't work like that. A nightmare for any manager. On paper, the best team in the world, but this is a real beast. I didn't get any games, so I just sat back and watched."
Rafinha left Barcelona for PSG in 2020, before joining Al-Arabi in 2022.
Neymar helped Lionel Messi in Barcelona training
Neymar spoke on the PodPah podcast in February this year, revealing that he helped Lionel Messi take penalties. He claimed that the Argentine asked him to teach his technique and said (via beIN Sports):
“I helped Messi take penalties! We were training in Paris, and he asked me, ‘How do you take penalties like that?’ I thought, ‘Are you crazy? You’re Messi! If I can do it, so can you.’”
Neymar and Lionel Messi played 206 matches together, 161 of them coming at Barcelona. They combined for 56 goals for the Catalan club, with the Argentine scoring 36 of them.
