Leonardo: 'PSG does not give Messi and Neymar comfort'

"People need comfort. Messi and Neymar need a good mental state, they need to feel supported and cared for," Leonardo told Brazilian newspaper Globo Esporte. "And the people who need to do that are the club, us as well as the coaches. But the club couldn't do it."

Leonardo worked as the Sports Director of PSG from 2019 to 2022. During this time, he worked with two superstars Messi and Neymar, who were highly expected when moving from Barca. PSG spent a record amount of $ 263 million to recruit Neymar in the summer of 2017 and Messi until 2021 on a free transfer.

But both Neymar and Messi are not at their best at PSG. Many reasons were given, including that they were not supported by fans or suspected of conflict in the dressing room. At the end of last season, Messi went to the US to play for Inter Miami, while Neymar moved to Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia.

"Players whose talent has reached this level are not complicated. They solve more problems than they create them. And if they have to solve problems, they do. They need to keep themselves in shape. can achieve a winning mentality when entering the match," Leonardo said.

Earlier this summer, Messi said he was not happy during his two years at PSG. After moving to Miami, the Argentine striker immediately shone and created a fever in the US. Neymar, when he joined Al Hilal, said he and Messi "lived in hell" during their time at PSG.

After successfully retaining Kylian Mbappe, PSG recruited attacking players such as Randal Kolo Muani, Ousmane Dembele or Goncalo Ramos to fill the void left by Messi and Neymar. The goal of the Ligue 1 champion is still to conquer the Champions League, a title they lack and cannot win even if Messi or Neymar are in the squad.