Alexandre Letellier, 34, former Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper, spoke to L’Équipe about the most impressive player he ever played alongside: Neymar, 33. In this account, he explains how the Brazilian transformed training sessions into scenes of pure magic, capable of escaping seemingly impossible situations.
Letellier: “Actually, no, he gets himself out of incredible situations.”
“Who is the best player you’ve ever played with?”
“I’d say the most impressive is Neymar. I remember thinking about it several times when we were playing small-sided games: moments when you see two guys marking him in the corner, and you think, ‘He’s done for, the ball’s going out.’ You almost start anticipating, grabbing the ball to restart the play… But no, he gets himself out of incredible situations.”
Letellier: “You get the impression that the game is fast for us, but for him it’s in slow motion.”
“You get the impression that the game is fast for us, but for him it’s in slow motion, and that’s why he manages to pull off incredible moves. You want to constantly push yourself against them to make things difficult for those guys in training. Otherwise, they get bored, and so do you, you just keep conceding goals.”
In Alexandre Letellier’s account, one senses a genuine admiration for Neymar, this player who made time slow down when everyone else was on the verge of breaking down. The former number three of Paris Saint-Germain describes those training sessions where the Brazilian, surrounded, reduced football to a series of impossible escapes.
This is where Letellier, used to living in the shadow of the first-choice players, found his role: to be the goalkeeper who pushed the stars, who refused to make life too easy for them. A loyal, discreet “third man,” but one fully committed to serving a club he deeply loves. Through Neymar, he almost recounts his own journey: that of a man who surpasses himself out of respect for a jersey, for the artists of the game, and for that unbreakable bond with PSG that has guided his entire career.
