‘Change in behaviour’ – Neymar says Kylian Mbappe fights stemmed from Lionel Messi jealousy
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Neymar revealed his former teammate Kylian Mbappe was 'jealous' after Lionel Messi arrived at Paris Saint-Germain in August 2021.
While on a podcast hosted by fellow Brazilian and World Cup winner Romario, the Al Hilal player confirmed that big egos were to the detriment of PSG.
During Neymar's six year stint in France, he won five league titles but could not obtain the club's maiden Champions League.
It was deemed a failure considering the record amount of transfer investment.
Mbappe swapped PSG for Real Madrid last summer after a prolonged saga led to the striker leaving on a free transfer.
In response to Romario questioning whether Mbappe joining Real Madrid was 'annoying', the 32-year-old replied: "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 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."
Once the French star made his £165m move from Monaco to PSG in 2017 alongside Neymar's £200m move from Barcelona, the two were tasked with winning the club's first Champions League.
They came close in 2020 but lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich in the final thanks to a goal from former PSG player Kingsley Coman.
A year later as the hierarchy became even more desperate to attain Europe's crown they signed Messi on a free transfer from Barcelona.
That summer transfer window also saw the arrival of Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Georginio Wijnaldum and Achraf Hakimi.
Neymar told his fellow countryman that Mauricio Pochettino's side often struggled to balance egos.
"It is good to have egos, but you have to know that you don’t play alone," Neymar said. "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."
Fans were quick to anger as the team often displayed selfish tendencies, not passing at opportune times and a lack of passion defensively.
In May 2023, 400 raging supporters grouped outside the club demanded resignations and the departure of Messi.
Then 100 people gathered outside the home of Neymar, who was injured at the time, chanting 'Neymar get out'.
The Ultras issued a statement criticising the club's management, asking, 'Is there still a pilot flying the plane?'
They stated that the 'parasite' players lacked ambition and only came to Paris to collect a huge salary.
Despite a largely different squad now, fans are still unsatisfied and will remain so until they lift a Champions League trophy.
PSG are currently at risk of being eliminated from the competition as Luis Enrique's team sit 25th in the new league format, one place outside of the knockout phase play-off places.
