Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe has responded to Neymar’s comments that the Frenchman, who moved from Paris Saint-Germain to Los Blancos in the summer, became ‘jealous’ following Lionel Messi’s move to the French capital.
In the infancy of his 308-game stint in Paris, Mbappe was the poster boy of the club and had the world at his feet, scoring goals as if they were going out of fashion. All in all, the one-time World Cup winner netted 256 strikes in all competitions.
Linking up with Neymar was a dream come true, and the pair struck an unforgettable partnership in the French outfit’s forward line in their six-year stint together. But Neymar insisted that things turned sour upon the addition of Messi.
The diminutive Argentine, now plying his trade for Inter Miami, followed in the same footsteps as Neymar and swapped Barcelona for PSG in the summer of 2021 and, given his pre-existing relationship with the forward, instantly hit it off and became the centre of attention.
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According to Neymar, that didn’t sit well with Mbappe. Speaking on a podcast hosted by Brazil cult hero Romario, the now-Al-Hilal winger said that Messi’s arrival made France’s third all-time top goalscorer jealous of his and Messi's instant connection.
No, [Kylian] Mbappe was not annoying! When [Lionel] Messi came, I think he became a little jealous… I had my thing with him, we had a little fight. He was a boy, that in the beginning was key.
“I used to call him ‘Golden Boy’, I spoke with him, player around with him, told him he’d be one of the best, I always help, I always had conversations with him,” he said. “When Leo arrived, he became a little jealous. He didn’t want to share me with anyone! That’s how the fight started, the change in behaviour.”
In response, Mbappe spoke to TNT Sports Brasil to reminisce about his and Neymar’s joint stint at the Parc des Princes and, instead of retaliating, highlighted his admiration for the Brazilian, who is one of the highest-paid players in world football.
“The truth is I have nothing to say. I’m very concentrated on what I’m doing here in Madrid,” he admitted before displaying a whole heap of affection for his former teammate. “I have a lot of respect for Neymar.”
I could talk many times about Neymar, but I want to remember the positives, of a unique footballer in the history of football and all the moments we had in Paris.
Nowadays, after a slow start to life in Spain, Paris-born Mbappe is finding his feet under Carlo Ancelotti as one of the best players in world football, while Neymar's career is all-but done after injuries have taken a toll on his stint in Saudi Arabia with Al-Hilal.
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