Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley gave plenty of praise to the New York Giants ahead of his first Super Bowl appearance on Sunday night.
The Eagles will be going up against defending champions the Kansas City Chiefs in New Orleans with the game being a rematch of Super Bowl LVII.
Barkley's NFL career began with the Giants in 2018 when he was selected second overall in the NFL Draft, and while he became a key part of the offense, it was clear that there was little chance of any postseason success with the four-time Super Bowl champions.
Last March, Barkley made the decision to sign with divisional rivals the Eagles on a three-year deal worth $37.75 million, and it was a move which did not go down well with Giants fans.
Since joining the Eagles, Barkley has been a revelation, posting 2,005 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns, along with 278 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the regular season alone.
Come the playoffs, Barkley added another 442 rushing yards and five touchdowns to his tally.
Appearing at Super Bowl Opening Night on Monday in New Orleans, Barkley was appreciative of the foundations the Giants gave him in order to perform to this exceptional level with the Eagles and reach the biggest game on the NFL calendar.
"My message to Giants fans will be that it’s nothing but love," Barkley said.
"I’ll be naïve to think that they were not supportive to me over the last six years. A couple of them were disappointed with my decision.
"The way I look at it, all the things that happened over there and the love that I have for them. There is a reason why I’m able to have the success I’m having now, I’m just thankful for all those people over there."
This was a drastic change in tone from Barkley when it comes to speaking about his past dealings with the Giants.
Speaking in an interview with The Athletic's Scoop City podcast last July, Barkley said that he was 'fed up' with how he was being treated by the franchise's general manager Joe Schoen and labelled it 'a slap in the face'.
Whether Barkley's comments on Opening Night are truthful or not remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure, it will be a genius move away from the Big Apple if the running back is able to win a Super Bowl at the first attempt in New Orleans.
