Mueez Ajao
– Paris Saint-Germain begin Champions League campaign against Juventus but start of competition marred by reports of feud between Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, who has been dragged into Paul and Mathias Pogba’s public falling out.
– Kylian Mbappe has played down reports of a feud between himself and Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Neymar.
– The forwards clashed in August’s win over Montpellier when Neymar prevented Mbappe, who had seen an earlier penalty saved, from taking another spot-kick, ignoring the order of penalty takers assigned by boss Christophe Galtier.
Also Read: Witchcraft saga: Mbappe stands with Pogba
– Sergio Ramos reportedly had to separate the two feuding stars in the dressing room after the match and Neymar’s liking of posts on social media poking fun at Mbappe’s missed penalty have only fanned speculation of unrest.
– But, speaking ahead of PSG’s Champions League Group H clash with Juventus, Mbappe revealed that while there were ups and downs in his relationship with Neymar there was still the utmost of respect for the Brazilian.
– “To talk about Neymar, this is the sixth year, I think we’ve always had a relationship like this based on respect,” Mbappe told reporters.
– “But we’ve always had moments like this where sometimes we’ve had moments that were a bit colder and moments that were a bit hotter.
– “There are times, you’ll see, when we’re the best of friends and sometimes we don’t talk so much, it’s the nature of our relationship that’s like that.
– “But there is a lot of respect, I have a lot of respect for the player he is, the player he represents and the importance he has in our team.
– “Afterwards, when you have two players with a strong character like that, life is not linear, it’s sure that sometimes things happen but it always remains in the respect and in the interest of PSG.”
– Asked who would take a penalty were PSG to win one against Juventus, Mbappe added: “We’ll see, we’ll see, there’s always a discussion, we have to see how it goes during the match.
– “I think we’re not both closed [to discuss it]. If the match makes it Neymar who shoots, it will be Neymar who shoots, if the match makes it me who shoots, it will be me who shoots, there’s no problem on that.
– “Number one doesn’t mean that you take all the penalties. I don’t think that exists in any club, even less when you play with three players like that.
– “You have to know how to share the cake and feel, it’s a question of feeling, and also know how to put water in your wine. We’ll see tomorrow but there’s no problem with that.”
💬 Kylian Mbappé revient sur sa relation avec Neymar
Suivez la conférence de presse en direct > https://t.co/3lPHWoekOf#PSGJUV pic.twitter.com/pxUHaySIdd
— L'ÉQUIPE (@lequipe) September 5, 2022
