[imagesource: AFP]
Paris Saint-Germain, or PSG, will no doubt walk Ligue 1 again this season.
The Parisians already sit atop the French domestic table after two matches and there’s very little the rest of the league can do to compete with the financial superiority afforded to the club due to its Qatari owners.
Unless there is a spectacular implosion, PSG will win a fifth title in six seasons and the main focus will be on finally winning the much-coveted UEFA Champions League trophy.
Signing Kylian Mbappé to a new contract was heralded as a major coup for PSG when it appeared likely that he would transfer to Real Madrid for free, but in doing so the club may have created a new headache.
Any team with Mbappé and superstars Neymar and Lionel Messi is going to see egos clash from time to time. This past week, it appears things may be coming to a head between the Frenchman and the Brazilian, who has hit the ground running with five goals and three assists in just three matches this season.
The Guardian unpacks why:
Bizarrely, [Neymar’s] rejuvenation is causing social and political unrest at the club and within the squad. Various outlets – including us at Get French Football News and French investigative journalist Romain Molina – have reported that, since signing a new three-year deal with PSG rather than joining Real Madrid this summer, Mbappé and his coterie have been actively pursuing Neymar’s sale…
When his future was in doubt last season, Mbappé moved away from the large Spanish-speaking contingent in the squad, including Neymar and Messi, and toward the Francophone group, striking up a close bond with right-back Achraf Hakimi.
When PSG convinced Mbappé to stay, they reportedly gave him unprecedented oversight on decision-making at the club; his ego and petulance have become more obvious since.
A case in point was his on-field behaviour this week when teammate Vitinha chose to pass to a teammate (Messi) over him.
In professional football, especially at the highest level, you can’t just down tools when somebody doesn’t pass you the ball:
Mbappé stopped running and sulked because Vitinha didn’t pass the ball to him.
Too much ego NEVER helps a team
pic.twitter.com/bBTidDX8Qa
— SemperFi Messi
(@SemperFiMessi) August 14, 2022
In the same match, Mbappé missed a penalty in the first half. When a second penalty was won, Neymar stepped up to take it and the Frenchman was clearly angered:
Mbappe’s ego is getting way too annoying. Man pushed Messi then went to argue for the penalty, right after he missed one.
Needs to get humbled pic.twitter.com/xFh5U9E6o5— Ziad is NOT in pain (@Ziad_EJ) August 14, 2022
Here’s where things really turn juvenile – after the match, Neymar liked two ‘anti-Kylian Mbappe posts’ on Twitter. This via SPORTbible:
The first post Neymar liked was from Twitter account Portal Brasil, who wrote: “Today, in the PSG game, Neymar scored and HUMILIATED the goalkeeper (once again) in the penalty kick. Mbappé, on the other hand, hit VERY badly and lost.
“After the game, the coach said that Mbappé will be the team’s main hitter for the season. An absurdity.”
…The second post he liked came from Twitter account @Neymargiabr, who wrote: “Now it’s official, Mbappe is the one who takes the penalties at PSG.
“Clearly this is a contract thing, because in no club in the world that has Neymar, he would be the second collector, none!! It seems that because of the contract, Mbappe is the owner of PSG!!”
As of Tuesday morning, both of those tweets remain liked by Neymar.
Again, this sounds like playground stuff but bear in mind that Neymar cannot come out and openly criticise his teammate. These players are highly active on social media and often use these tactics to make points they couldn’t during an interview, for example.
Neymar’s contract runs until 2027, so it would likely take a massive bid to secure his services, and Mbappé has been made the poster boy for the Parisian outfit. Eventually, something has to give:
Neymar’s form, contract and refusal to leave should give Mbappé’s clan pause over pursuing the Brazilian’s sale, but Mbappé’s new influence and status at PSG, plus his own burgeoning self-importance, suggest he will keep pushing.
According to sources contacted by GFFN, Mbappé now thinks there is only room for two of him, Messi and Neymar in the team and, having learned a lot from Neymar over the last five years, he now wants to learn from Messi instead.
Reports from various outlets suggest Neymar feels ‘stabbed in the back’ by a teammate he was once close with.
On the pitch, Messi is keen to put what was a poor 2021/2022 season behind him and hit the ground running. He has three goals and an assist in three matches, including this cracking finish against Clermont Foot:
Lionel Messi bicycle kick goal
pic.twitter.com/yMAXYIkIQm— Liam (@ThatWasMessi) August 6, 2022
He may have missed out on a Ballon d’Or shortlist nomination this week but you get the feeling he’s hungry for an eighth win.
[sources:guardian&sportbible]
