Neymar headed for PSG exit after Mbappe snub
Stuart Telford
- 14 Jul 2022 11:22 BST
- 3 min read
Neymar's future as a PSG player looks increasingly fraught after footage came to light of he and Kylian Mbappe ignoring each other in a training drill.
There has long been an element of competitive tension between the players.
Neymar arrived at Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona for a world record €222 million in 2017, but Mbappe - initially at the Parc des Princes on loan from Monaco that season - was fast blossoming into a world class player in his own right.
A world champion with France by the very next summer, Mbappe's deal was made permanent for €180m ahead of the 2018/19 campaign - one in which he outscored Neymar by 33 goals to 15 as PSG won the Ligue 1 title.
There were reports of Neymar and Brazilian teammate Dani Alves ganging up on Mbappe, calling him 'Donatello' in training due to his alleged physical similarity to the Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtle.
Mbappe has overtaken Neymar in the pecking order
But the tables have now turned. Mbappe, amid public interest from Real Madrid, was handed a bumper new contract in the summer which made him the highest-paid player at the club, lifting him above Neymar and Lionel Messi, Neymar's former Barca teammate.
PSG are paying Mbappe €250m over three years whilst also giving him a say in how the club is run. Neymar's stock has fallen, meanwhile, with PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi taking aim at the 30-year-olkd in a recent interview with Le Parisien.
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"A possible departure of Neymar this summer? What I can tell you is that we expect all players to do a lot more than last season. A lot more," he said in no uncertain terms.
"They all have to be 100%. Obviously, we weren't good enough to go far [in the Champions League]. For next season the objective is clear, to work every day, to give 200 per cent. To give everything we have for this jersey.
"You have to be humble again. You have to change to avoid injuries, suspensions and fouls that change a game."
Neymar ignored Mbappe for Messi. Watch closely! pic.twitter.com/a8RLwIeEQO
— Messiologist (@FC_Bar_celona) July 12, 2022
The footage, which was filmed in February, went viral after being reshared by Spanish sports daily Mundo Deportivo. It shows Mbappe and Neymar ignoring each other ahead of a drill in which they would have needed to pair up.
A coach steps to partner Mbappe - sparing any blushes - while Neymar ally Messi completed the exercise with the Brazilian.
"They no longer have much in common and the world champion does not hesitate, in private, to make fun of his attacking partner," write French outlet l'Equipe.
"Mbappe would not find anything to complain about in the event of a Neymar exit during the next transfer window and his managers have been notified of this."
