Neymar’s Priceless Gift to Messi and His Sons: A Friendship That Outlasts Clubs
11 February 2026
Neymar and Messi: A Friendship That Transcends Teams
Neymar Jr. remains close to his former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi, having shared the field together from 2013 to 2017. Today Neymar plays for Santos in Brazil while Messi is with Inter Miami in the United States; their paths also crossed at Paris Saint-Germain from 2021 to 2023.
A striking example of their ongoing friendship: Neymar, now 33, sent three exact replicas of his new Santos shirt to Messi and his sons Thiago, Matteo, and Ciro.
Santos highlighted the gesture on social media, posting a photo of Messi with his boys holding Neymar’s shirts and praising the No. 10 shirt’s sacred legacy in football history.
Fans are watching Neymar’s return after a knee surgery he underwent in December. Although he has resumed training in the last couple of weeks, coach Juan Pablo Voivoda has not yet included him in the Santos squad.
Humor time: If gifting jerseys counted as an assist, Neymar just chalked up a legendary one. And if fashion awards existed for football, Messi’s household would be sweeping them for the No. 10 family reunion.
