Former Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar has revealed that Kylian Mbappé became “a little jealous” following the arrival of Lionel Messi at the French club in August 2021.
Neymar shared this insight on Thursday during a podcast hosted by Brazilian World Cup winner Romário, where he discussed his time at PSG and the dynamics among the star-studded attacking trio.
Neymar, who made a world-record £222 million move to PSG from Barcelona in 2017, admitted that while tensions existed between him and Mbappé, their relationship was generally positive.
“He’s not annoying,” Neymar said when Romário asked about Mbappé.
“I have my issues with him, we had a little fight, but he was crucial for us when he arrived. I always called him golden boy. I believed he would become one of the best. I helped him, we spoke often, and he came to my place for dinners.”
However, Neymar acknowledged that the arrival of Messi in 2021 led to some friction.
“We had some great years together, but when Messi arrived, Mbappé became a bit jealous. He didn’t want to share me with anyone, and that led to some conflicts and a shift in behavior,” Neymar revealed.
Mbappé had joined PSG from Monaco in the same year as Neymar, with both players expected to help the club achieve its long-sought UEFA Champions League title—a goal that remains unfulfilled.
Neymar reflected on the challenges within the squad, highlighting the impact of inflated egos. “It’s good to have egos, but you must recognize that you don’t play alone. You need others by your side. Big egos were almost everywhere, and it just didn’t work. If no one is willing to run and help, it’s impossible to win,” he said.
Neymar, now playing for Saudi club Al-Hilal, ended his PSG career with an impressive tally of 118 goals and 77 assists from 173 appearances.
Meanwhile, Mbappé has since moved to Real Madrid.
