Paris Saint-Germain's Neymar Jr was talking up his bond with Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi after the three of them conspired to hammer Clermont 6-1, while also wishing that the capital club had hit their straps a bit earlier in the season...
Saturday night was the biggest night of the year for the Clermont fans who flocked to the Stade Gabriel-Montpied to see their Lanciers take on the mighty PSG, and although their side didn't win, they saw plenty of goals...
Three of which were for Neymar Jr - the other three for Kylian Mbappé - on a night where the Brazilian and his expensively assembled team fired on all cylinders, Lionel Messi racking up three assists with one apiece for Neymar and Mbappé.
"I am very pleased to have scored my first hat-trick of the season," said Neymar Jr after the match. "And even happier with the win and our attitude. It's important that the chemistry between us get stronger in every match."
It was without a doubt one of the most accomplished displays turned in so far by Mauricio Pochettino's stars, and it opened up a 15-point lead ahead of second-placed Rennes, but Neymar had some regrets that his side weren't able to produce that kind of display - which everyone had been dreaming of or imagining since Messi's once-unthinkable arrival from Barcelona materialised in the summer.
"Unfortunately, everyone has gotten to pretty much at 100% only at the end of the season," said the Parisian no.10. "It's a shame, but I am very happy with everything that we are showing on the pitch. It's a lot easier to play with players who are very intelligent. Leo and Kylian are extraordinary, they are two geniuses."
>> MATCH REPORT: Mbappé and Neymar score hat-tricks in PSG romp
