Brazilian football star Neymar has opened up about the dynamics between himself, Lionel Messi, and Kylian Mbappé during their time at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). Speaking on a podcast hosted by legendary Brazilian striker Romário, Neymar shared that Mbappé became “jealous” after Messi joined the team in 2021.
When asked if Mbappé, who now plays for Real Madrid, is “annoying,” Neymar dismissed the notion but admitted they had their differences.
“No, he is not annoying. I have my things with him. We had a little fight, but he was fundamental to us when he arrived. I used to call him Golden Boy.
I always played with him, said he was going to be one of the best. I always helped him, talked to him, he came to my place, and we had dinner together,” Neymar said.
He added that their relationship changed after Messi’s arrival at PSG:
“After Messi came, he [Mbappé] was a little jealous.
He didn’t want to share me with anyone. And then there were some fights and a change in behavior.”
Neymar and Mbappé both joined PSG in 2017 from Barcelona and AS Monaco, respectively.
Reflecting on PSG’s struggles in big matches, Neymar suggested that clashing egos within the squad hindered their performance.
“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.
If nobody runs and nobody helps, it is impossible to win anything,” Neymar explained.
Neymar also spoke about his decision to join Barcelona instead of Real Madrid earlier in his career, a choice he said he does not regret.
“I don’t regret my choice to pick Barcelona over Real Madrid. I went with my heart. I obviously wanted to play with Messi! Barça was the team I loved.
Since the era of Ronaldinho, I always said: ‘I want to play there.’ And it happened,” Neymar revealed.
He recounted how intense the transfer process was, with both clubs vying for his signature:
“Those were intense days. For two or three days, I wasn’t even training, just going back and forth from my house to the office to resolve everything.
Real Madrid’s people were calling me on one side, and Barcelona’s people were calling on the other.
Both presidents were talking to me. I couldn’t rationalize. I imagined myself playing for both, but then my heart spoke louder, and I ended up choosing Barcelona.”
