'I would be thrilled if Neymar came back,' says Barcelona's Messi

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Barcelona captain Lionel Messi would be "thrilled" if Neymar returned to the Catalan side but insisted they could still win trophies without the Brazilian.

In an interview with the Catalan newspaper Sport this week, Messi said the return of Neymar, who was at Barca from 2013 and 2017 when he left for Paris Saint-Germain, could only strengthen the Spanish champions.

"I would be thrilled if Neymar came back," said the Argentine.

"I understand that not everyone agrees. That's normal after everything that happened around Ney, the way in which he left, the way he abandoned us.

"But when you look at the sporting angle, for me Neymar is one of the best players in the world and obviously would improve our chances of getting the results we want."
"I would have liked it if he had come and been with us but, as I have said, we have an exceptional squad to challenge for every title, even without him."
"Here, it is not me that gives the orders," he said. "We never said that he had to be brought in. We didn't make any demands."
"I don't know if the club (Barcelona) wanted it to happen. What I do know is that Neymar really wanted it. But I understand it is very difficult to negotiate with PSG."