5 similarities between the Messi-Neymar and Ronaldinho-Messi relationship

#4 No added pressure

One of the greatest problems faced by young players walking into senior squads is that they’re often faced with the immense expectation to perform almost immediately. It’s a burden that grows exponentially when a player is at a big club like Barcelona.

However, neither Lionel Messi, nor Neymar were faced with a situation where they had to prove themselves immediately. While the Argentine immediately impressed with his performances, the Brazilian showed his flair only in patches before getting into the groove at the Catalan club.

The key for them was that they had others in the team, crucially in the form of Ronaldinho for Messi and he in turn became the foil for Neymar to integrate themselves into the side. There was the desire for a good performance from them but not the immediate need, allowing them to express themselves and grow into games.

Neither needed too much time to find their way, but will be thankful for the support in the period they started off and has so influenced the players they are now and hope to be in the future.