Neymar Jr shows off framed jerseys of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and former teammate in new social media post

Neymar Jr has shared an Instagram story displaying framed jerseys of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Luis Suarez. The Brazilian forward forged the fabled 'MSN' attacking trident alongside Messi and Suarez at Barcelona during his stay at Camp Nou.

Neymar also came up against Ronaldo multiple times in his career, but the Portuguese superstar's No. 7 jersey has found a place on his wall. Messi's No. 10 Argentina shirt and Suarez's No. 9 jersey from the Uruguay national team are displayed as well.

The Brazilian currently plies his trade with Santos, his boyhood club, where he first caught the eye of Barcelona in 2013. The Catalans managed to prise him away, and for four seasons, Neymar Jr ran riot alongside La Pulga and Suarez.

The trio regularly faced Cristiano Ronaldo, who was part of the Real Madrid roster, adding more fizz to the hotly contested El Clasico. However, the Brazilian decided to leave Barcelona in 2017, perhaps in a bid to move out of Lionel Messi's shadow and carve a legacy of his own.

Neymar moved to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), who reportedly paid a world-record €222m fee for his signature. However, the Brazilian failed to live up to expectations at the Parc des Princes.

While there were flashes of brilliance, fitness issues proved to be his bane. Neymar Jr was briefly reunited with Lionel Messi at PSG in 2021, and shared the pitch with his old mate for two seasons in Ligue 1.

Interestingly, both superstars left the Parisians in the summer of 2023. While La Pulga moved to the MLS to join Inter Miami, the Brazilian joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal.

He was expected to ignite a rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo in the Middle East, but could only manage seven appearances for the Saudi club over a season and a half. Neymar Jr ultimately left Al-Hilal in January this year to move back to Santos.

How many times has Neymar Jr faced Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in his career?

Neymar Jr shared the pitch with Lionel Messi on 206 occasions for Barcelona and PSG, contributing 67 goals together. However, the Brazilian also locked horns with the Argentine maestro on six occasions, winning two games and losing the other four.

Meanwhile, Neymar faced Cristiano Ronaldo on eight occasions, all at club level during his time with Barcelona and PSG. The Brazilian won four games and lost three others.

About the author

Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over seven years at Sportskeeda. He has written more than 9000 articles for the website, and has garnered over 20 million reads.

Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer's Wikipedia page.

Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.

Deepungsu has been a Manchester United supporter since the year 2000. Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and the Scotsman helped him get through some of the toughest days of his life. Like the fiery Scot, Deepungsu also leaves no stone unturned when it comes to accuracy in articles and only relies on credible sources.

Despite believing in Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to create an iconic rivalry, Deepungsu reckons no one can match the longevity of Messi and Ronaldo. He spends his leisure time writing about life on his blog, reading books, and playing the guitar.

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Edited by Deepungsu Pandit