Lionel Messi has made the shock admission that Barcelona are better off without Paris Saint-Germain's £198million man Neymar.
The Brazilian superstar, widely regarded as one of the best players in the world, left the Nou Camp for a record fee in the summer, but Messi doesn't seem overly concerned about the exit of his good friend.
'Without Neymar we are more balanced,' Messi told the Sunday Mirror. 'His departure led to a change in the way we play.
'We have lost a lot of our offensive potential but we have improved in defence.