Lionel Messi and his sons receive special gift from Neymar Jr

Neymar Jr has sent personalized Santos club jerseys to his former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) teammate Lionel Messi as a gift, showing their close bond and friendship.

Lionel Messi and Neymar's close friendship

In a picture that has gone frenzy on social media, Messi, along with two of his sons posing with the shirts, accompanied by the caption:

“From Neymar Jr. to Lionel Messi. From the Prince to the Genius. The Sacred Jersey, of immeasurable value, with the number immortalized by the King. 10 for Neymar. 10 for Messi. 10 for Pelé. An infinite legacy in the history of football. Greetings from Vila Belmiro, Lionel Messi!”

Neymar and Messi became friends when the former joined Barcelona from Santos ahead of the 2013/14 season. The duo combined for their first goal in a3-2 victory against Valencia in LaLiga. Messi scored all three goals for Barcelona in that game, with Neymar assisting the third.

They initially got separated after Neymar left Barcelona for PSG in 2017 but reunited after Messi joined the French club in 2021. Like at Barcelona, they also scored multiple goals together during their stint at PSG, but most of their joint goal participation came at the Spanish club.

Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr's strong on-field impact

Notably, Lionel Messi is the one Neymar has played with the most, with both playing alongside each other 206 times while combining for 67 goals across their time at Barcelona and PSG.

Neymar considers Lionel Messi as his idol

In 2016, Neymar confessed that Messi was more than a friend for him, focusing that the Argentine player was also his idol. At the time, Messi was convicted of tax evasion, which led him to being fined and sentenced to a 21-month jail term.

“Messi is not only my friend, he is also my idol, and I will always support him. I can imagine what he is going through,” Neymar said at a public event in Praia Grande.

He also added;

“I respect his decisions, but football without Messi isn't football, it's hard to imagine it without him. If you like football at all, then you can't help but admire Messi and everything he's achieved for Argentina and Barcelona.”

The duo had their best season in the 2014/15 season, when they won the continental treble with Barcelona.