Neymar has admitted that Lionel Messi “made the difference” during Barcelona’s 2-1 victory over Atletico Madrid in La Liga on Saturday.
The pair combined to earn the Catalans all three points after Fernando Torres had given Los Colchoneros the lead, and the Brazilian paid tribute to the No 10 for his contribution in light of the international break and having barely trained due to the birth of his son Mateo.
“I’m happy that I score, but the most important thing was to win the game,” he said after the game.
“It’s good that we’ve won three out of three. We scored early [in the second half] and that was very important.
“Once Messi came on, he made the difference like always and we won the game.
“With Messi on the pitch, everything doesn’t become easy but better.
“Messi’s the default free-kick taker. He always converts them, but this time around he hit his very high. It’s a pity.
“[Antoine] Griezmann is a star and I really like him. He’s a great player.”
