Pep Guardiola Reveals How Many Champions Leagues Barcelona Would Have Won if They Didn’t Sell Neymar

Pep Guardiola Reveals How Many Champions Leagues Barcelona Would Have Won if They Didn’t Sell Neymar

- Pep Guardiola claims Neymar would have won two or more Champions League titles with Barcelona

- The former Santos forward parted ways with the Catalans in 2017 after four years at the club

- Guardiola will hope he can guide his team to their first UCL final as they file out against PSG in the semifinals

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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes Barcelona were wrong to have allowed Neymar to join Paris Saint Germain in a world record fee in 2017.

The 29-year-old spent four seasons at Camp Nou winning one Champions League, two La Ligas, and several other domestic and continental titles.

He was instrumental to the Catalans' emerging king of Europe in 2015 after helping them to a dramatic comeback against his present team back them.

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However, since he left Spain for France four years ago, the club has struggled to compete on the continent, with their last three outings ending in disasters.

Barcelona 'would have won two or three Champions Leagues' if Neymar didn't leave for PSG
Pep Guardiola watching young Neymar dazzle when Barcelona faced Santos in the FIFA World Club Championship in 2011. Photo by Mike Hewitt - FIFA
Source: Getty Images

Meanwhile, Guardiola whose team faced Neymar in the FIFA Club World Cup Championship in 2011 claims the winger would have helped them remain dominant in all competitions. He was quoted by Daily Mail saying:

"All the players were open-mouthed. What a player. He is a joy to watch. I enjoy it as a spectator. He has Brazil on his shoulders, No 10 in Brazil is not easy to wear.
"He helps to make football better. I'm pretty sure if he had stayed at Barcelona, they would've won two or three more Champions Leagues."

Despite having some challenges after arriving in France in 2017, the PSG star insists he has overcome his challenges and he's focused on winning the Champions League for them.

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The Parisians host Man City in the first leg of their semifinal clash on Wednesday, April 28 with the second leg coming a week later in Manchester. The 29-year-old said:

"I have been by far my happiest this season. Since I arrived at PSG, we all know I have had some difficulties. I have overcome them.
"My main goal is to win this competition. I have always been a professional player. Some people think wrongly about me. This season we beat Bayern in the quarter-final and will do everything we can to beat Manchester City."

Neymar has scored 14 goals and nine assists across competitions so far this campaign and he will hope to help them claim the European title this time after losing to Bayern Munich last season.

Legit.ng earlier reported that Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino has branded Manchester City handler, Pep Guardiola, as the best manager in the world.

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The two coaches go head-to-head in the UEFA Champions League semifinals this week with the French League side staging the first leg, while City host PSG in the second a week after.

Having clashed at the quarterfinals of the same competition in 2019, the Argentine progressed to the last four-on-away goals rule despite playing a 4-4 draw after both legs. Spurs went all the way to the final but lost to Liverpool in the end.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Oluwatomiwa Babalola avatar

Oluwatomiwa Babalola Oluwatomiwa Babalola is a former sports editor at Legit.ng. He has over eight years of field and office experience in the media industry. He graduated from the Nigerian Institute of Journalism in 2014 with HND in Mass Communication.