Neymar has revealed that Lionel Messi’s penalty pass in Barcelona’s 6-1 victory over Celta Vigo on Sunday was intended for him, not Luis Suarez.
Messi evoked memories of Johan Cruyff’s legendary penalty when he passed up the opportunity of scoring his 300th La Liga goal to tee up Suarez, but Neymar claims he was supposed to meet the Argentine’s pass instead.
“We tested [the penalty] in training,” he told TV3 after the game.
“The penalty was for me, but Luis was closer and he finished it off.
“We’re very happy about it. Our friendship is the most important thing, no matter who scores.
“It was a very difficult game, but we were able to play our [usual] game.
“[Luis Enrique] is a great Coach. So far, he’s the best I’ve had in my career. He gives us a lot of strength.
“We’re excited to have achieved 30 clean sheets. We want to continue like this.
“Arsenal are a great team, but we’ll train hard and try to beat them.
“The renewal is progressing. I still have many years of my contract left and anything can happen, but I'm optimistic.”
