Neymar’s relationship with Kylian Mbappe may not be rosy as Christoph Galtier will have us believe after the Brazil star gave a blunt response when quizzed about his relationship with the PSG talisman.
The fallout between the two top stars was evident in PSG’s heavy 5-2 win over Montpellier in French Ligue 1 matchday 4.
Despite a convincing win over their opponents, the two players showed that they were not on good terms with each other during the match.
PSG won two penalties in the game, and Mbappe had blown away the first spot kick.
After winning the second penalty, Mbappe attempted to retake the penalty but was restrained by Neymar, who equally contested to take the penalty, grabbing the ball.
A short altercation ensued between the two, with Mbappe obviously furious while Neymar proceeded to take the penalty and scored.
Apart from the on-pitch row between Neymar and the highly-rated French star, dressing room brawls between them were also reported.
In one of the cases, former Real Madrid and Spain center back, Sergio Ramos, had to step in to separate the two who were embroiled in a severe and bitter row.
After the on-pitch row, Neymar had stoked the flames of conflict when he liked a social media post canvassing for Mbappe to be stripped of his role as the number one penalty taker in the team.
So many conspiracy theories were spurned out to explain the Neymar and Mbappe feud, with many attributing the quarrel to Mbappe’s new special status in the team after signing a new contract, with PSG making so many concessions for the 22-year-old.
Also, Mbappe had reportedly used his special status to make some moves for the transfer of Neymar from the club.
After the row in the Montpellier game, Christoph Galtier, head coach, convened a meeting to reconciled the two stars. After the meeting, he confirmed that peace and normalcy had been restored.
Although relations between the two forwards have appeared to improve on the pitch after the incident, Neymar’s latest comment pointed in the opposite direction.
After featuring for Brazil and helping the team to a 3-0 victory over Ghana in an international friendly, Neymar was asked about his relationship with Mbappe after the match. His reply was blunt and shocking.
After saying that he didn’t understand the question, Neymar then gave a downbeat response when the question was put forward to him again.
He simply replied, ”I don’t know…” and walked away from the pressman.
Neymar’s gesture has further heightened speculations that all is not well between him and Mbappe in the PSG squad.
Despite the seeming feud that has lingered, the PSG trio – Neymar, Messi, and Mbappe are at their best this season, helping PSG remain top of the Ligue 1 table after 8 matches.
