Neymar claims star was ‘jealous’ of Messi during PSG stint

Striker Neymar says his former Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbappé became “a little jealous” after superstar Lionel Messi joined the French club in August 2021 in a free transfer.

Speaking in a podcast hosted by World Cup winner Romário released Thursday, the 32-year-old Brazilian who plays for Saudi club Al-Hilal added big egos had affected the performances of PSG in big 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.

“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,” Neymar said.

“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 behaviour,” the Brazilian player added.

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.