Mbappe was annoyed that Neymar ‘didn’t pass to him’
Kylian Mbappe has admitted that he called Paris Saint-Germain teammate Neymar a “bum” during a furious rant last month.
During the Parisians’ 2-0 win over Montpellier in September, Mbappe was seen moaning about Neymar after he had been substituted two minutes from full-time.
It appeared that the Frenchman was annoyed that his strike partner wasn’t passing to him – making his frustrations known to Idrissa Gueye, who had also been substituted.
Mbappe – who was speaking in an exclusive interview with L’Equipe – was asked whether he did in fact say the words, ‘This bum, he never passes to me!’
“Yes, yes, I said it,” he admitted. “Now these are things which happen all the time in football. It just needs to be something that doesn’t linger.”
He added: “Right after, given how it blew up, I spoke to him about it.
“We already had a few exchanges like that in the past and it will continue, because we want to win, but there shouldn’t be a certain resentment.
“There isn’t any here at all because I respect the player and the man, and I admire what he is.
“But that’s it, I wasn’t happy with a pass. One day it happened to me too, I didn’t pass it and he wasn’t happy. But there’s no issue.”
Kylian Mbappé to L’Équipe: “Yes, I called Neymar ‘bum’ because I wasn’t happy with a pass. These are things which happen all the time in football. That’s why, right after, given how it blew up, I spoke to him about it. This happens because we want to win. That’s it – no issue”. pic.twitter.com/DMiBkLpWbo
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 5, 2021
PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino was quick to agree with the 22-year-old’s suggestion that their argument had been settled, dismissing claims of a long-standing feud between Mbappe and Neymar.
Following Lionel Messi’s sensational move to the Parc des Princes in the summer, there is another superstar to keep happy within the PSG ranks – with the Argentine arriving as the main man.
Whilst Mbappe understands that the arrival of Messi leads to a number of adjustments – for both him and the team in general – he is also willing to accept the new hierarchy that sees the former Barcelona man move above the Frenchman in the pecking order.
“When you only play with great players, you have to make concessions,” he stated. “You’re not the only big player. It’s not you and the others anymore, it’s everyone all together. Because all we want to do is win.
“When you have Messi in your team, you know that he has to do a bit less in order to have some fuel left in the tank to be more clear-headed to score.
“So if you have to go back, that’s what you do. It’s not an issue, there’s an established hierarchy.
“I’m happy to run when Messi’s walking, it’s not an issue! Come on, it’s Messi!”
After the international break, PSG return to Ligue 1 action when they host Angers on October 15, before welcoming RB Leipzig to the Parc des Princes on October 19.
Related links:
- Kylian Mbappe accuses PSG of making him ‘feel like a thief’
- Kylian Mbappe caught on camera complaining that Neymar “doesn’t pass” to him
- Lionel Messi scores his first PSG goal in spectacular style
