Striker Neymar said that his former Paris Saint-Germain teammate, Kylian Mbappe, became “a little jealous” after star Lionel Messi joined the French club in August 2021 on a free transfer.
Speaking on a podcast hosted by World Cup winner Romario on Thursday, the 32-year-old Brazilian, who plays for Saudi club Al Hilal, added that big egos affected PSG’s performances in big matches.
Neymar made his comments after Romario asked if Mbappe, who joined Real Madrid this season, was “annoying”.
“No, he’s not. I have my stuff with him. We had a little fight, but he was a starter for us when he arrived. I called him the golden boy. I always played with him, and I said he would be that way.” “He always helped me, I talked to him, he came to my house, and we had dinner together,” Neymar said.
The Brazilian player added: “We had good years of partnership, but after Messi came, he felt a little jealous. He did not want to separate me from anyone. After that, there were some quarrels, and a change in behavior.”
Mbappe joined Paris Saint-Germain from Monaco in 2017, the same year Neymar moved from Barcelona to the French club in one of the biggest transfers in football history.
Both were signed while the club was bidding for its first Champions League title, which it has yet to win. Neymar said the team often suffered because of big egos, but he did not name anyone.
Neymar said: “It is good to have an ego, but you have to know that you are not playing alone. There has to be someone else beside you. The (big) ego was almost everywhere, and this cannot work.” “If no one runs and no one helps, it is impossible to win anything.”
Neymar did not rule out returning to Brazil after his contract in Saudi Arabia expires in the middle of this year.
There was no reaction from Mbappe or Messi to Neymar’s comments.
Associated Press report.
Want great stories delivered straight to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports accountand follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
Lionel Messi
Neymar
Kylian Mbappe
Get more from the FIFA Men’s World Cup Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
