Barcelona coach to referees: Protect Messi, Neymar, Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar are one of a kind players, who are known for their prolific footballing skills. While they are the most expensive players today, they are not exempt from the sport's harsh laws. Meanwhile, Ronald Koeman feels referees should protect them.

The sport of football has seen several legendary players to date. However, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar are the ones who have taken it to the next level and are undoubtedly the best players in today's date.

Owing to the same, they are also the most expensive players in the sport. However, that does not mean that they can escape the harsh laws of the sport, which are equal for every footballer.

The issue popped up on Tuesday's UEFA Champions League pre-quarters eve, as Barcelona gets set to host Paris Saint-Germain at Camp Nou, while the latter would be without former Barca striker, Neymar. Meanwhile, Barca manager Ronald Koeman feels that players like such should be provided special protection by the referees, as fans want to enjoy their gameplay a lot.

"To see the best game, you always have to have the best players on the field of play. You never know how a team reacts if they lack a player like Neymar. Both teams have casualties. I hope in a couple of weeks everyone can be there to find out who is the best," Koeman said during the pre-match press conference.

"I think we must always protect this type of player, players like Neymar, Messi, Cristiano, because they let us enjoy their quality a lot. And in this respect, the referees have to defend them, but in football, there is contact and the players have to know that when they play one-on-one, and the referees have to decide when it is an ugly foul, but football is still a contact sport," he added.

Neymar is currently nursing an adductor injury and has been ruled out for four weeks. However, he could be in line to play the second leg of the pre-quarter clash against Barca in Paris. Meanwhile, Barca defender Jordi Alba hopes that Neymar does not feature in Paris as well, as he could be the difference-maker for PSG.

"I am not going to deceive you. Personally, it is better that players like Ney do not play in the opposing team. He is an important loss for them, like [Angel] Di Maria, who defensively and offensively contributes a lot," he reckoned.