Neymar, Mbappe beef: Lionel Messi's stance on PSG superstars' alleged feud revealed

Neymar, Mbappe beef: Lionel Messi's stance on PSG superstars' alleged feud revealed

Rene Otinga
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:11 PM
In this article:
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FRA Ligue 1
France
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K.Mbappé
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L.Messi
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Neymar
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  • Messi, despite being a quiet figure in the PSG dressing room, tried to intervene in Neymar and Mbappe’s beef
  • The two superstars have reportedly had a strained relationship over who should be on penalty duty for PSG
  • Their disagreement played out during the Ligue 1 clash against Montpellier last month

Lionel Messi reportedly tried to play mediator between Kylian Mbappe and Neymar amid an alleged spat between the pair.

Last month, Mbappe and Neymar fell out over who should be on penalty duty for Paris Saint Germain, further souring their already strained relationship.

Despite playing together since Neymar moved to Paris in 2017, there has always been a general feeling that Neymar and Mbappe are in a subtle competition on who should take up the spotlight at the club.

Neymar, Mbappe, PSG
Kylian Mbappe and Neymar had a feud over who will take the team's penalties in August 2022. Photo: Getty.
Source: Getty Images

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In August, during a game against Montpellier, Mbappe took a penalty against the wishes of Neymar, who wanted the spot kick.

The Frenchman would go on to miss the penalty and Neymar took up the subsequent penalty in the same match.

Mbappe was visibly unhappy with Neymar taking the kick and he openly aired his grievances to his teammate on the pitch in full glare of the cameras.

Another incident that seemed to show all was not well at the PSG camp was when Mbappe failed to square Neymar with an easy pass for a tap in during the Champions League game against Juventus last week.

As per L’Équipe, while all this is happening, Messi, who has been at the centre of it all, has tried to mediate between the two superstars.

The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner reportedly tried to calm down tensions within his team’s camp while trying not to teach lessons.

The report claims Messi is a very calm character in the PSG dressing room and rarely tries to impose his ideologies or opinions onto teammates.

It is for this reason that it came as a surprise to many to learn that the 35-year old went out of his natural way to try to diffuse the Neymar-Mbappe strife.

Authors
Rene Otinga photo
Rene Otinga
Rene Otinga is a sports journalist with over eight years of working experience in digital media. Rene's experience includes working as a Copywriter at X News Kenya and TUKO.co.ke.