Neymar has opened up about the tensions within Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) during his time at the club, revealing that Kylian Mbappe was “jealous” of Lionel Messi after the Argentine’s arrival in 2021.
The 32-year-old Brazilian, widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of his generation, joined PSG in 2017 for a world-record £200 million transfer.
Over his six years in Paris, Neymar formed a dynamic attacking partnership with Mbappe, with Messi joining the French giants in 2021 to complete a fearsome front three. However, despite dominating domestic football in France, PSG was unable to secure the coveted UEFA Champions League title, with Neymar’s tenure marked by several painful European exits.
Speaking on a podcast hosted by Brazil World Cup winner Romario, Neymar revealed the internal conflicts at PSG, particularly after Messi’s arrival.
‘No, he (Mbappe) is not (annoying),’ Neymar said. ‘I have my things with him, we had a little fight, but he was fundamental for us when he arrived.
‘I used to call him golden boy. I always played with him, and said he was going to be one of the best.
‘I always helped, talked to him, he came to my place, we had dinner together.
‘We had some good years of partnership, but after Messi came he was a little jealous.
‘He didn’t want to split me with anyone. And then there were some fights, a change in behavior.’
Neymar, who now plays for Saudi club Al-Hilal, scored 118 goals and contributed 77 assists in 173 appearances for PSG. However, his final years at the club saw his relationship with Mbappe become strained.
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Reports indicated a rift between the two stars, and a notable incident occurred during a Ligue 1 match against Montpellier in August 2022, when they clashed over who would take a penalty.
Despite their continued success in Ligue 1, PSG’s failure to achieve Champions League glory continued to haunt them.
Club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi even described winning the Champions League as an “obsession,” but the team repeatedly fell short in the knockout stages.
They regularly crashed out in crunch knockout games, including at the last-16 stage by Real Madrid and Bayern Munich when the club’s attack consisted of Messi, Mbappe and Neymar.
During that time, the three stars were reportedly on a cumulative £3.25m-a-week, while several other players like Sergio Ramos, Marco Verratti and Gianluigi Donnarumma were also on astronomical wages.
And, reflecting on those European frustrations, Neymar hinted that there were almost too many ‘big egos’ inside the dressing room to get through the tough moments in those big games.
“‘It is good to have egos,’ the Brazilian said. ‘But you have to know that you don’t play alone. There needs to be another guy by your side. (Big) egos were almost everywhere, it can’t work. If nobody runs and nobody helps, it is impossible to win anything.’”
While the partnership between Messi, Mbappe, and Neymar was a historic one on paper, the tensions within the squad ultimately prevented PSG from achieving their ultimate goal in European football.