Barcelona New Boy Paulinho Says He Enjoys Doing the Running for 'Incredible' Messi

It appears that Paulinho is getting along splendidly with new teammate Lionel Messi, following a summer move to the Camp Nou.

The Brazil international revealed that it was Messi who had him join the La Liga giants in a recent interview, and he is still talking up his new partnership with the Argentinian forward.

LLUIS GENE/GettyImages

Speaking to the press ahead of Barca's Champions League match against Olympiacos, the player opened up a bit more on what it has been like playing alongside one of the world's best, also claiming that he liked doing the running for his new teammate.

“Lionel is a player who always does different things," he said, via AS. "I’ve faced him at international level, but now I have the huge pleasure of playing by his side. He’s incredible.

"Messi has helped me a lot to adapt to the team. I’ve been able to play with Neymar in the national team and now I can play with Messi here. I like to do the running for him and later, he decides.”

Lots of fans were left bewildered when the Catalan side went for Paulinho during the summer, but he has kept his head down and is proving the doubters wrong every game he plays.

“Some people questioned me when I arrived at Barça but I always kept a clear head," he added. "Those people who backed me, the coaches and my team-mates, saw when I arrived that I was well up for working hard. The main thing is that we all want to win titles.”