Pochettino Opens Up on Neymar’s Reaction When He Branded Messi As the Best Player in the World

Paris Saint-Germain is a job no manager wants due to the number of egos in the dressing room, insists Mauricio Pochettino.

Pochettino departed PSG in July, having won the Ligue 1 title last season having failed to recover their title bid the previous year.

The former Tottenham boss paid the price for another lacklustre campaign in Europe, however, with his star-studded squad eliminated by Real Madrid across a dramatic last-16 encounter.

With arguably the most star-studded squad in world football – featuring Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe up front – expectations are high in Paris.

Pochettino has indicated that the PSG hotseat is a poisoned chalice and player power makes the job almost impossible.

Speaking to German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung, via Tribuna, the coach revealed how he had to deal with Neymar's ego in particular.

Fans want Cristiano Ronaldo to learn from Neymar and Lionel Messi's behaviour from PSG bench

Football

"In an interview I was once asked who I think is the best: Lewandowski, Benzema or Messi? I said: Messi!" Pochettino said.

"The next day Neymar came up to me and said: "So,so..." I had to justify myself and remind him what question I had been asked - and that he wasn't even an option. Then we both laughed."

This ended rather amicably, but Pochettino failed to make the most out of the super-talented attacking line at PSG as he was sacked for poor results in the Champions League last summer.

Pochettino wants Mbappe to leave PSG

Meanwhile, Mauricio Pochettino has suggested that Kylian Mbappe needs to leave Paris Saint-Germain to evolve and compete for the Ballon d'Or in the future, Goal reports.

Pochettino believes a move could benefit Mbappe’s career after the striker turned down a mega move to Real Madrid this summer to remain with PSG.

World Cup Group D Analysis: Mbappe, Benzema lead France's defence against Eriksen's resilient Danish side

Football

With 190 goals across all competitions since joining the Parisians in 2017, Kylian Mbappe has been outstanding with the French champions.

Pochettino describes Kylian Mbappe immature

Sports Brief earlier reported that Mauricio Pochettino believes Kylian Mbappe still needs to mature as a player. The former Paris Saint-Germain manager spoke about the French forward for the first time since leaving PSG.

Pochettino was discussing Mbappe's failed move to Real Madrid and how it could affect his developing personality going forward as a player.

According to 90MIN, the former PSG manager believes Mbappe still needs to discover himself as a player unlike his teammates Lionel Messi and Neymar.