Neymar takes on Messi in trichological warfare

Barcelona striker risks his teammate's wrath by imitating bleached-blond hair colour

Barcelona striker Neymar has risked the wrath of teammate Lionel Messi by imitating the Argentine’s bleached-blond hair colour.

Messi, who has sported his new hair colour along with an impressive beard since returning for club duty following his Copa America tournament with Argentina, has set a trend across footballing fraternity.

The new hair-do, which was first revealed via an Instagram post from girlfriend Antonella Roccuzzo, has been copied by Barcelona teammates Neymar and Rafinha after their Olympic Games triumph.



PHOTO: REUTERS

Following the Argentine’s suit, Neymar commented on his club captain’s choice of hair colour, saying, “Messi looks good enough blond, with his beard, but I think there is some room for improvement.”

Neymar and Messi were in sparkling form for Barcelona on Tuesday, with the Brazilian scoring one and assisting four goals, while his teammate scored a hat-trick and set up another strike in the 7-0 dismantling of Scottish champions Celtic.

The 24-year-old, who led Brazil to their first Olympic football title last month, said he hopes to seal a nomination for the final three for the Ballon d’Or prize for the second year in a row. However, he added that the award for world’s best player is beyond discussion.



PHOTO: REUTERS

“I hope to be among the final nominees,” he said.

“The favourite is difficult to decide. For me, Messi is the best. Cristiano Ronaldo won titles and that sometimes just edges it.

“But if it was up to me, Messi would always win it.

“He’s the best I have seen play. It’s easy to play alongside someone like that. He’s a good mate, just like [Luis] Suarez. We always support and help one another.”

This article initially appeared on Goal.com