Messi-Neymar in the final, in the firmament of South American football

Star Wars at the Maracana! Brazilian star Neymar and Argentine star Lionel Messi, friends since their common years at FC Barcelona, ​​face each other in the Copa America final in Brazil on Saturday in Rio de Janeiro (00:00 GMT Sunday).

This galactic confrontation between the two great favorites of the tournament, which will be played exceptionally with the public – however limited to 10% of the capacity of the enclosure – is the opportunity for Neymar and Messi to finally win a first major title in selection, decisive asset to win the Ballon d’Or, the race for which remains very open this year.

And too bad if « Ney » and « Leo » have nurtured a sincere friendship for the four seasons spent by the Brazilian at Barça (2013-2017).

« I’ve always said it, (Messi) he’s the best player I’ve ever seen play. He’s a great friend, but we’re in the final, we’re rivals now and I want to win, I want to get this title because it would also be my first, » said « Ney. » Injured, he had missed the Copa America-2019 won by Brazil.

“When you have a friend who is going to be your opponent, it ends up being hard to forget the friendship. But even when you play with your friends, you want to beat them by all means. Saturday will be the case”, added the Paris SG player.

For Messi (34), the tournament’s top scorer and passer with 4 goals and 5 assists, this final is one of the last chances to win a title with Argentina.

– Repeated failures –

In addition to having shared the same locker room, the two friends have in common repeated failures in major international competitions.

This final is, for the six-time Argentinian Ballon d’Or, the opportunity to break the curse after four lost finals (World Cup-2014, Copa America 2007, 2015 and 2016) and to put an end to the interminable famine of his country, which haven’t won a trophy since the 1993 Copa America.

Neymar (29), often overtaken by injuries, is still trying to make people forget the affront of 2014, when Brazil suffered, at home, the greatest humiliation in their history (7-1) in the semi-final against Barcelona. Germany, in the absence of his prodigy hit in the back.

Both, however, have an Olympic gold medal on their record, won in 2008 for the Argentinian and in 2016 for the Brazilian, who also won the Confederations Cup in 2013.

At Barça, the two world football superstars formed one of the duos – then trios, with the arrival of Luis Suarez – the most prolific in history, compiling goals and assists to offer the Catalan club its fifth League champions in 2015, accompanied by two Spanish championship titles (2015, 2016) and three Copa del Rey (2015, 2016, 2017).

« To speak of Messi and Neymar is to speak of excellence, of technical, mental and physical qualities, of great creativity. It’s a great challenge, a great show, » said Brazilian coach Tite.

Neymar will find his friend and mentor on the pitch for the first time since leaving FC Barcelona in 2017. He too assures us that he « only thinks of victory ».

« Today Argentina have, with Messi, one of the best players in their history. I think it would be good for the film at the end of my career. It’s a final that everyone hoped for, and that I always dreamed of playing… », concludes the Brazilian.