After Lionel Messi‘s decision to join Inter Miami in the MLS, Neymar will no longer share the pitch with the Argentine superstar. For a pair who dominated entire Europe at Barcelona but fell short in France, it was a sad conclusion.
The World Cup champion was expected to head Paris Saint-Germain with other superstars like the Brazilian, as well as Kylian Mbappe, and Sergio Ramos. The UEFA Champions League was where they really bombed out, however, eventually losing to teams like Real Madrid and Bayern on their mission to the Final.
Performances were consistently inconsistent even in the French league when the Parisians had little trouble hoisting the trophy. Now, even though the 36-year-old is excited to begin a new chapter with the United States, he hasn’t forgotten about his South American buddy and ex-teammate.
Why did Lionel Messi give up on PSG’s award?
According to French outlet Le Parisien, before Lionel Messi’s farewell game for Paris Saint-Germain, the club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi presented him with a commemorative trophy. The Argentine forward has now promptly given the trophy to his former colleague, Neymar.
Club president Al-Khelaifi presented Messi with a gilded number 30 trophy before the game in honor of the jersey he wore for two years. Even after leaving this summer, Sergio Ramos was awarded a similar trophy for his time with the club.
However, Neymar was the lucky recipient of this award. The Brazil international is auctioning off the award to raise money for his charity organization, which provides aid to underprivileged kids.