Mathieu: Neymar felt overshadowed

Former Barcelona defender Jeremy Mathieu was surprised Neymar left Barcelona and believes he felt eclipsed by Lionel Messi.

The French defender left the Camp Nou this summer to join Portuguese giants Sporting CP, weeks before Neymar concluded his transfer to Paris Saint-Germain from the Blaugrana.

“Nobody thought he would actually leave Barcelona,” Mathieu told EFE, as quoted by Diario AS.

“But football is unpredictable and these things happen, but I believe he always felt that at Barcelona he was being overshadowed by Lionel Messi.

“I know he wants to win the Ballon d’Or title and maybe he sees Paris as the place to present that case – he is happy and is already scoring goals.

“Barca in the Champions League? It will be a tricky match for us but we are going to work very hard for that match and try our best to win the game.”

Tags Jeremy Mathieu Neymar Sporting CP
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