Neymar Jnr has revealed that Kylian Mbappe was jealous of Lionel Messi, when the Barcelona captain joined PSG in 2021.
Messi left his boyhood club after they struggled to afford a new deal under La Liga’s financial fair play rules to team up with the French giants.
Before Messi’s arrival, Mbappe, and Neymar struck a bond on and off the pitch which resulted in stunning performances, leading to success off the pitch for the club.
Neymar, who also joined PSG from Barcelona in a transfer record deal in 2017, has now opened up on the issues at the club which affected the team’s performance.
The Brazilian super star was speaking in a podcast hosted by World Cup winner Romario, which was released on Thursday.
Neymar was asked if Mbappe was annoying while at PSG.
He said: “No, he is not. 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 a golden boy.
“I always played with him, 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 admitted that the players’ ego affected the team’s performances.
“It is good to have egos, 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.”
Neymar and Mbappe joined PSG in 2017 in one of the biggest transfers in football history as the club intensified their effort to win the elusive Champions League trophy.
Messi enjoyed a successful time at PSG, winning three trophies in two years including two French Ligue 1 titles.
The Trio failed to win the Champions League trophy for PSG. Neymar and Messi left in 2023, while Mbappe joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2024.
