Barcelona: Lionel Messi says Barcelona is the "ideal club" for new striker Neymar.
The €57million signing from Santos lit up June`s Confederations Cup with an array of stunning performances, including a venomous left-footed drive for Brazil in a 3-0 final win against Spain.
Many have questioned whether or not the 21-year-old will be able to play alongside Messi but the Argentine himself insists Barcelona can help nurture Neymar`s development.
"I have the good fortune to play with many world champions and Neymar is another great player who has joined the club. It`s very nice to play with great players and I think this is the ideal club for him," he told El Mundo Deportivo.
The Blaugrana romped to Liga success last season but suffered the ignominy of losing 7-0 on aggregate to eventual winners Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-final and Messi says the target this year is to collect more silverware.
"The goal is to get all the titles with Barca," he added. Every year we prepare for that and we also want to have a good pre-season."
Zico revealed he believes Messi is the greatest player never to have lifted a World Cup and the four-time Ballon d`Or winner appreciated the Brazil legend`s comments.
"I appreciate those words of Zico," he continued.
"I always try to perform to the highest level and get all the titles. Obviously the World Cup is a dream of mine, my team-mates and the entire country.
"But it`s not only the World Cup that I want to play in, it`s all competitions. I always want to play every game with the same desire.
"It`s too far away to think about the World Cup just now with it being a year away."
goal.com
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.