Neymar and Curry discuss Messi and basketball

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02:19

Two of the biggest stars in world sports, Brazilian football great Neymar and American basketball virtuoso Stephen Curry, got together at a YMCA in Paris and shared stories about life and their respective professions.

Paris Saint-Germain striker Neymar talked about two of the greatest footballers in the game – Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, while Golden State sharpshooter Curry revealed some stories about teammate Klay Thompson who on Monday, broke his record for most three pointers in an NBA game with 14.

While eulogizing his former Barcelona teammate Messi, Neymar said, “I played with Messi, who is, for me, one of the greatest footballers of all time, and he is my idol in the sport. With Messi, I learned every day, whether during practice, or playing with him, or just watching him play.”

The Brazilian was candid about his observations on another contemporary great, Ronaldo, as well, stating: “As for Cristiano Ronaldo, he is a monster. Facing him is a pleasure and an honor, but we have to be more prepared. He is one of the greatest in football so you get smarter, you get alert, but at the same time you learn a lot, too.”

Meanwhile, he quipped on his own status, “My son was at school with his friends when a TV advertisement came on for a Brazil match and I was in it. So my son said, 'That's my dad.' And then one of his friends said, 'No, that's not your dad.' And my son was a bit sad because no one believed I was his dad.”

Stephen Curry (R) taps hands with Neymar (L) at the start of the French Ligue 1 clash between Paris Saint-Germain and Saint-Etienne on August 25. /VCG Photo

Curry, on the other hand, said, “The funniest guy in our locker room is Klay Thompson, for sure I don't think he knows it, though – that's the funny part. So he has, like, this untapped wealth of knowledge somewhere in the back here (points to the back of his head), where he'll just spit like this most random knowledge of like, how many gallons Lake Tahoe holds or... just something random.”

“But, it wasn't a story that made me laugh or something he said that made me laugh, it was kind of the scenario around him scoring... was it 60 points in three quarters, two years ago? We always joke because Klay is kind of late to everything.”

The Golden State Warriors guard added, “He's late to practice sometimes. He'll be late to shoot around and whatnot. This particular day of practice before that game he missed the entire practice. He didn't show up, nobody could reach him."

"He didn't even come in late, like he just didn't show up the entire practice. So the next day you're worried about like where his mental space is, and the guy goes out and reads his newspaper before the game, like he always does, and goes out and scores 60 in three quarters the day after he misses a practice.”