Neymar exposes PSG ‘EGO WAR’, revealing how Kylian Mbappe was ‘jealous’ of Lionel Messi, his ‘fights’ with now-Real Madrid star – and why it stopped £3.25M-A-WEEK front three from winning

Neymar has opened up on the ego wars during his time at PSG and claimed that Kylian Mbappe was ‘jealous’ of Lionel Messi.

Neymar, 32, is viewed as one of the greatest footballers of his generation, with the Brazilian the all-time record goalscorer for his country.

After breaking through at Santos in his homeland, he made his name at Barcelona before the forward joined PSG for a world record £200million fee in 2017.

Over six years in Paris, Neymar developed an impressive partnership with Mbappe, while Messi played for the French giants between 2021 and 2023, meaning the club had one of the most fearsome front-lines in history.

However, while the Parisians regularly won Ligue 1 and domestic trophies in France, they were never able to get over the line in the Champions League, with Neymar’s time at the club marred by several chastening European exits. 

And, speaking on a podcast hosted by Brazil World Cup winner Romario, Neymar opened up on life at PSG and the divides within their front three once Messi joined.

‘No, he (Mbappe) is not (annoying),’ he said. ‘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. 

‘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.’

Neymar, who now plays for Saudi side Al-Hilal, scored 118 goals and added 77 assists in 173 games for PSG.

However, during his latter years at the club, the Brazilian’s relationship with Mbappe was thrown into the spotlight.

Reports in the media claimed the two stars had developed a feud, while a Ligue 1 clash against Montpellier in August 2022 saw the pair clash over who would take a penalty. 

Meanwhile, PSG were desperate to win the Champions League with Mbappe and Neymar, with club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi later claiming it was an ‘obsession’, but the French giants repeatedly fell short. 

They regularly crashed out in crunch knockout games, including at the last-16 stage by Real Madrid and Bayern Munich when the club’s attack consisted of Messi, Mbappe and Neymar.

During that time, the three stars were reportedly on a cumulative £3.25m-a-week, while several other players like Sergio Ramos, Marco Verratti and Gianluigi Donnarumma were also on astronomical wages.

And, reflecting on those European frustrations, Neymar hinted that there were almost too many ‘big egos’ inside the dressing room to get through the tough moments in those big games.

‘It is good to have egos,’ the Brazilian added. ‘But you have to know that you don’t play alone. 

‘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.’