Neymar Says PSG Teammate Marco Verratti Is On Par With Barcelona Icons Xavi & Andres Iniesta

Former Barcelona star Neymar has named Paris Saint-Germain teammate Marco Verratti as one of the best midfielders he has ever played alongside.

Neymar has named Paris Saint-Germain teammate Marco Verratti as one of the best midfielders he has ever played alongside.

Verratti was the most impressive midfielder on the pitch as PSG beat Real Madrid 1-0 on Tuesday in their Champions League last 16 first leg.

Neymar had one of the best seats in the Parc des Princes as he watched the first 73 minutes from the subs' bench, before entering the action late on.

Speaking after the match, Neymar was quoted by GOAL as saying: "I knew Verratti was an excellent player, but I didn't realise he was so spectacular."

Neymar went on to compare Verratti to two iconic Barcelona midfielders in Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta.

Neymar puts his arm around PSG teammate Marco Verratti as they celebrate winning the Coupe de France in 2020 :: IMAGO/Panoramic

"He's a genius," added Neymar. "He's one of the best midfielders I've played with, along with Xavi Hernandez and Iniesta."

Neymar played with Xavi and Iniesta for two seasons at Barcelona.

The Spanish duo were the driving force behind years of dominance at both club and international level.

They won four Champions League titles with Barcelona between 2006 and 2015, while helping Spain win the 2010 World Cup as well as the Euros in 2008 and 2012.

Verratti has a long way to go to get close to matching Xavi and Iniesta in the silverware department.

But he won his first major international honor last year as Italy triumphed at Euro 2020.