Stevie Nicol temporarily questions Julien Laurens’ idea that Neymar could return to fitness with a move to MLS. (1:38)
Brazilian striker Neymar says his former Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbappe is “a little jealous” after superstar Lionel Messi joined the French club in August 2021 on a flexible transfer.
Speaking on a podcast hosted by World Cup winner Romario and published on Thursday, the 32-year-old Brazilian, who suffered an injury-laden spell with Saudi club Al Hilal, added that egos affected PSG’s functionality in the early matches.
Neymar made his comments after Romário asked whether Mbappé, who joined Real Madrid this season, “is annoying.”
“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,” Neymar said. “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 good years of relationship, but after Messi’s arrival he became a little jealous. I didn’t need to separate myself from anyone. And then there were fights, changes in behavior. “
Mbappé joined PSG from Monaco in 2017, the same year Neymar moved from Barcelona to the French club in one of the biggest transfers in soccer history.
Both were signed as the club sought to win its first Champions League title, which it has yet to win. Neymar said the team struggled because of big egos, but he didn’t call anyone.
“It’s smart to have ego, but you have to know that you don’t play alone,” Neymar said. “There has to be some other guy by your side. The [big] egos were almost everywhere, it can’t work. If no one runs and no one helps, it’s to win anything. “
Neymar has ruled out returning to Brazil after his contract in Saudi Arabia expires in the middle of the year. ESPN resources also said that 3 MLS teams, including Chicago Fire FC, are interested in signing him for the North American league.
Later on Thursday, his manager at Al Hilal, Jorge Jesus, said Neymar was free to decide his future for himself after confirming that he would not be registered for the second half of the Saudi Pro League season, in part because of his injury issues since joining the team.
“The only thing I know is that Neymar is registered at the moment,” Jesus said after Al Hilal beat last-place Al Fateh 9-0. “I don’t know the interest of other clubs, it is out of my control.
“The Saudi League is one of the most productive leagues in the world. Neymar can no longer play at the level we are used to because unfortunately things are getting complicated for him.
“I don’t know what will happen with Neymar’s future. He still has a contract with Al Hilal and what happens next depends on him. In the end, it will be a resolution for him and the team management.
Neither Mbappé nor Messi reacted to Neymar’s comments.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this story.