Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and more: Ex-Barcelona star Neymar Jr picks his five-a-side team

Former Barcelona star Neymar Jr picked his ex-teammates Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez while creating his dream five-a-side team in an interview with 433. The Brazilian forward currently plays for Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League.

In the short clip, Neymar picked former Selecao goalkeeper Julio Cesar to guard the goal and Thiago Silva in defense. Finally, he chose Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and himself as his final three players to create the perfect side.

Neymar’s connection with Messi and Suarez goes back to their time together at Barcelona from 2014 to 2017. They together formed one of the best attacking trios of all time at the Catalan side, popularly known as ‘MSN’.

The MSN trio was key to Barcelona’s historical treble-winning 2014-15 season under Luis Enrique’s guidance, comprising the UEFA Champions League, La Liga and Copa del Rey. Together, the trio scored 364 goals overall alongside picking up eight trophies for Barca.

Neymar left the Catalan side in 2017 to sign for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) for a world-record fee of €222 million. Luis Suarez moved to Atletico Madrid in 2020 while Lionel Messi left in 2021 to join PSG, where he was reunited with his former teammate.

When Lionel Messi shared details about his Whatsapp group with ex-Barcelona stars Neymar and Suarez

Juventus v FC Barcelona – UEFA Champions League Final – Source: Getty
Although the MSN trio officially broke with Neymar’s move to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017, the three former teammates remain friends beyond the pitch. Speaking to Fox Sports Argentina in June 2019, Lionel Messi said that he shares a Whatsapp group with the Brazilian icon and Luis Suarez.

“I have a group on WhatsApp where we are – Suarez, Ney and I. He is a phenomenon and yes, we continue to talk. The name of the group has something to do with South America … ‘The Three Sudacas’ or something like that,” Messi said.

The Argentine star has heaped praises on his former Brazilian teammate multiple times in the past. In 2014, Lionel Messi claimed that Neymar would win the Ballon d’Or one day. In September 2019 and in February 2020, Messi spoke to SPORT and Mundo Deportivo, stating that he would love to have the current Al-Hilal star back at Barca with him.

Meanwhile, Neymar has also returned the favor, claiming that he would love to play with Messi once again after their stint together at Barca and PSG. In a conversation with ESPN Argentina, he said:

“Hopefully we can play together again. Leo is a great person, everyone knows him in football and I think he is very happy and if he is happy, I am too.”