‘MSN’ trio perfectly at home in Barcelona and delivering when it matters

The enjoyment of each other’s game and an appreciation of the same is genuine too. Neymar admitted as much in post-match press comments when he said that he was trying desperately to get Messi a goal to make him happy.

Looking back over the Spanish football headlines from the past week, it’s incredible to see just how many articles have been published suggesting that Lionel Messi is going to Manchester City or Neymar to their rivals Manchester United.

Ridiculous sums of money are being bandied around, £800,000 (Dh4.42 million) per week for Messi one such example. Whilst money certainly still talks and both Messi and Neymar are known to be unhappy with certain tax issues that continue to dog their private lives in Spain, the overriding question is, when Barcelona continue to play as they have this past week why on earth would any player want to leave?

The 4-0 stroll over Real Sociedad was the second La Liga game in a row won by such a margin, sandwiching a 6-1 hammering of AS Roma in the Champions League. In all three games, there’s an argument that the Catalans could quite easily have won by more.

The standard of individual performance continues to defy logic but importantly ‘MSN’ are also delivering the goods when it matters. Suarez scored for the seventh game in succession and Neymar’s two-goal salvo gave him 13 goals and eight assists in the last 10 games. The trio are so far ahead of their rivals it’s embarrassing.

The evident enjoyment of each other’s game and an appreciation of the same is genuine too. Neymar even admitted as much in his post-match press comments when he said that he was trying desperately to get Messi a goal to make him happy.

Money may well be able to buy the Argentine and Brazilian whatever their heart desires on a material level but it will never be able to replicate that happiness, something that football patrons are bearing witness to on a weekly basis at present.

Furthermore, Suarez and Neymar have certainly now been claimed by the locals as one of their own. Long gone are the days when Barca’s notoriously fickle fan base were complaining that they weren’t right for the club.

Although tax issues and the like are a distraction and certainly not helpful, given both the current financial wellbeing of the players concerned and the quality of legal staff that could be placed at their disposal, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility to suggest that every obstacle could be overcome if they want it to be so. And why wouldn’t they? Their personal numbers for the year are as incredible as they are preposterous and all three will wake up this morning qualified as group winners for the Champions League, sitting proudly atop La Liga and being the overwhelming favourites for the upcoming World Club Cup.

It can’t get any better than such football perfection, make no mistake.

The author is an expert on Spanish football.