"I helped Messi practice taking penalties," Neymar revealed in a recent interview. During the time the duo reunited at Paris Saint-Germain, Lionel Messi asked Neymar how to take penalties. This happened shortly before Messi participated in the 2022 World Cup, a tournament he won with Argentina.
Neymar recalled: "During a training session, he asked me how to kick a penalty. I thought, 'Are you crazy? You're Messi. What I can do, you can do too.' So I taught him my way of kicking."
Messi learns how to take penalties from Neymar.
The secret to taking a penalty that Neymar taught Messi is to look straight at the goalkeeper until he touches the ball. This helps Messi observe the goalkeeper's movements more closely, without revealing the direction of the shot through his eyes, thereby making it easier to distract the goalkeeper. In addition, staring at the opponent also has the effect of applying pressure.
Messi has always been considered a free kick specialist. At every team he has played for, from Argentina to Barcelona, PSG and now Inter Miami, Messi has always been given priority to take penalties. However, the 37-year-old superstar also has many sad memories related to the 11-meter penalty spot.
According to Transfermarkt data, Messi has missed 31 penalties in official matches. In addition, he has missed several important penalty kicks, typically in the 2016 Copa America final. Messi's miss in the first round contributed to Argentina's defeat.
At the 2022 World Cup, Messi scored 7 goals, including 4 penalties. In addition, the Argentine superstar also had 2 successful penalty kicks in the quarter-finals and final. The only time Messi missed a penalty in this tournament - it was saved by Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny - was when he did not look at the goalkeeper, a method he learned from Neymar.
After the 2022 World Cup, Messi continued to take penalties in this way. Before Neymar revealed the story, many fans on social media discovered that Messi's new habit was similar to the style of his former teammate at PSG.
Source: https://vtcnews.vn/messi-super-hang-van-phai-hoc-neymar-ky-thuat-co-ban-de-vo-dich-world-cup-ar928797.html
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