Getty Messi and Neymar embrace after the Copa America final
Former Barcelona forward Neymar has revealed what he said to Lionel Messi after Saturday’s Copa America final between Brazil and Argentina at the Maracana Stadium.
Messi’s Argentina ran out 1-0 winners to end a 28-year trophy drought and hand the captain a first senior international title. The two players were spotted embracing after the final whistle and Neymar explained what he said to Messi in a post on Instagram.
“Losing hurts me, it hurts me…it’s something I haven’t learned to live with yet. Yesterday when I lost, I went to give a hug to the biggest and best in history that I’ve seen play. My friend and brother Messi, I got sad and told him ‘son of b*tch you beat me’ I’m too sad to have lost. But this guy is f**king awesome! I have a lot of respect for what he did for football and especially for me. HATE TO LOSE!!! But enjoy your title, football was waiting for you at this moment! CONGRATS HDP BROTHER”
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Messi Spends Time With Neymar After Win
Messi also spent time with Neymar and Paris Saint-Germain’s Leandro Paredes after the famous win. The three players were spotted chatting and laughing in the tunnel by television cameras, as shown by 433.
Messi & Neymar after the match 🤝
Messi also spoke to reporters after the match and made it clear just how much it means to him to finally pick up a trophy with Argentina and fill a gap that had been missing from his extensive trophy cabinet, as reported by Goal.
“I feel that God was saving this moment for me, against Brazil in the final and in this country. Great credit has to go to Lionel (Scaloni). He always wanted the best for the national team. He knew how to put together a winning team and he deserves your appreciation,” he said. “I needed to get rid of the thorn of being able to achieve something with the national team, I had been very close for many years. I knew that at some point it was going to go wrong, it was going to happen and I think there is no better moment than this.”
Messi Played Through The Pain Barrier
Messi may not have scored in the final but there’s no doubt how influential he was to Argentina’s Copa America campaign. ESPN highlighted how dominant the captain was at the tournament.
Lionel Messi’s 2021 Copa America:
Most goals ⚽️
Most assists 🎯
Most chances created 🧠
Champion 🏆
Player of the tournament. Again.
Yet Scaloni has made the surprise admission that Messi played the semi-final and final despite suffering from a hamstring injury, as reported by ESPN.
“If you knew the way that he played in the Copa America you’d love him even more,” he said. “You can never do without a player like him, even when he is not fully fit like in this game and the previous one.”
Argentina’s victory over Brazil will love long in the memory for many reasons. The victory ended La Albiceleste’s trophy drought, delivered Messi a first title and was Argentina’s first ever win over Brazil on the Selecao’s own turf.
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Neymar Reveals What He Told Messi After Copa America Final