Why Messi and Neymar Will Be Unstoppable Together at Barcelona

In pairing Neymar and Lionel Messi on the same team, Barcelona have pulled off the transfer coup of the summer window. The South American idols, firm admirers of each other's games, have the potential to form a partnership more potent than any currently operating in world football. 

In the minds of both the Brazilian public and their Argentine counterparts, there is little over a year before Messi and Neymar will be thrown into competition against each other. Beating their continental rivals in the World Cup final is and will remain the dream right up to 2014. 

However, the public will equally be transfixed throughout the next 12 months by how their maximum idols combine together. There is no doubt that it has the potential to be a very special partnership indeed. 

Having addressed fears earlier in the month concerning possible clashes of style and personality in the Barca starting lineup, Wednesday may be the first time we see the pair on the same side, as they take on Bayern Munich in a preseason friendly.

If, as expected, Messi continues in his preferred post as a "false" centre-forward and Neymar is picked on the left side of the forward trident, their potency together should make an immediate impact. The Argentine will continue doing what he does best for his club, at times dropping deep to combine with Xavi and Andres Iniesta, at others pushing forward into the box to hit the opposition defence where it hurts. 

Neymar, meanwhile, provides a whole new option out wide. The ex-Santos man is used to dragging his full-back out of position before making a sharp turn towards goal. This could be with the ball at his feet, using his outrageous dribbling talents, or out of possession by eluding the marker and combining with those in the middle. 

Either way, in Messi he will find an attacking partner who knows exactly what to do in that situation. While the Rosario native's goalscoring talents tend to take the headlines, just ask Gonzalo Higuain how valuable a colleague La Pulga is. The Real Madrid striker is currently Argentina and South America's top scorer in World Cup qualifying with nine strikes, and many of those have come courtesy of the quality service given to him by none other than Messi. 

Neymar is a far more complete talent than Higuain. Judging on current form, he will also pose a far more potent threat in front of goal than either David Villa or Alexis Sanchez, who due to injury and poor form respectively failed to impress in the same position during 2012-13.

The Brazilian is still unproven in European football, but has shown enough during the last three seasons with Santos and the national team to suggest that he is more than ready for the challenge of La Liga. 

All new partnerships are a step into the unknown. Accustomed to clashing in international colours, it will take time for Neymar and Messi to form the kind of bond that will allow both their talents to shine. 

In the eyes of this commentator, however, once the pair find their stride the future could be very rosy indeed for Barcelona, as they strive to improve on the last season and recover the form that saw them acknowledged almost universally as the best team on the planet.