Real Madrid is set to face the tough task of playing the French side Paris St Germain in the last 16 stage of the UEFA Champions League. According to Spanish news outlet Don Balon, Barcelona’s Lionel Messi wants his former teammate Neymar Jr. to beat the Spanish champions, Real Madrid.
Neymar, Cavani and Mbappe will take on Real Madrid in the Round of 16
The sole reason behind Messi’s wants is the presence of the Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo had pipped past Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr to win the Ballon d’Or for the fifth time tied highest with Lionel Messi.
This has irked the Argentinian, and further, the striker has requested Neymar to beat Real Madrid to stop the Portuguese from another title. Ronaldo has suffered a dip in his form in La Liga, scoring only four goals in the 11 appearances for the Los Blancos.
Ronaldo’s form in Champions League:
However, Ronaldo has scored nine goals in the Champions League group stage, six more than his Argentinian counterpart. While Ronaldo and Messi have played their part in their Spanish clubs, Neymar has outshone them as a starter for Paris Saint Germain.
The Brazilian superstar has scored some sumptuous goals for the Parisians while assisting for the likes of Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbbape. Don Balon claims that Messi has told Neymar to knock Real Madrid out of the Champions League when PSG face them in February.
Ronaldo has performed much better in Europe when compared to his league form.
The Ballon d’Or is very often a result of hard-work from the individuals during the course of an entire season. Real Madrid’s eight-point gap in the league suggests that Ronaldo can only win the individual award for his performance in Europe.
Author’s take:
Paris St Germain locking horns with European champions Real Madrid is one of the mouth-watering clashes in the last 16 stages of the tournament. It would take a massive effort from either of these sides to beat the other. While Neymar and co have looked very effective in the group stages, Ronaldo has fired his team to a second place in the group.
Messi, on the other hand, has had a subdued start in the Champions League while blazing guns in the league. It would take a determined Messi to take the Catalan club past the English champions, Chelsea.
The post Lionel Messi asks for a favor from Neymar appeared first on The12thMan.
