Neymar: I had a huge friendship with Messi

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The Brazilian remembers one of the first games for Blaugrana in which Messi has boosted his confidence.
“I remember a game with Barcelona, I was nearly crying because things weren’t coming off for me.

“It was halftime and Messi came up to me and told me that I only had to be the same player I had always been, to be myself. ‘You have yo be yourself,’ he told me. ‘You can’t be intimidated to be playing alongside me or Iniesta,’ he insisted.

“To see the humility of a guy that has won it all, that is the best in the world, asking you to be yourself and show your best, without any kind of vanity, was something I loved.

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“I tell that story all the time to my family, to my friends. He helped me a lot professionally, of course, but also personally.

“To play with stars like Messi, Iniesta and Xavi makes you a little shy. But after speaking with Messi I came out of myself, showed what I had, relaxed and played with confidence. Since that day, I have had a huge friendship with Messi.”

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