Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe has admitted that he did complain about teammate Neymar passing to Julian Draxler after the Brazilian set the German up in the recent 2-0 win over Montpellier HSC in Ligue 1.
The France international was off the pitch by this point but was caught on camera claiming that Neymar would not provide the same pass if he was in such a position and has now confirmed to L’Equipe that he was annoyed in the moment.
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“Yes, I said it,” Mbappe confessed. “Now, these are things which happen all the time in football. It just needs to be something that does not linger. That is why, right after and given how it blew up, we spoke about it.
“We already had a few exchanges like that in the past and it will continue because we want to win. However, there should not be a certain resentment. There is none here at all because I respect the player and the man, and I admire what he is. But that is it, I was not happy with a pass.
“One day it happened to me too, I did not pass it and he was not happy. But there is no issue.”
Mbappe has been hitting the headlines in France at the start of this week after he confirmed to RMC Sport that he asked to leave PSG this summer, but he admitted that he never imagined that Lionel Messi would join him at Parc des Princes.
“No! I never imagined him coming here,” he said. “He is one of the rare players who I put in the ‘impossible teammate’ category. For me, he was never going to leave Barcelona. I am savoring every moment alongside him.
“You cannot forget that it remains a privilege. He is someone who loves soccer. He speaks with everyone, he is trying to integrate in his own way, even if he is a bit shy. But he is not shy on the pitch.”
Mbappe recognized that his early days with Neymar in Paris were similar, but that Messi is a different level, and the former AS Monaco man also expressed his happiness at this summer’s transfer haul which has seen Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Georginio Wijnaldum, Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes arrive.
“Neymar, a bit, when he arrived,” said Mbappe. “He was extraordinary. But Messi is something else. It is amazing to think that the only other club shirt he has worn, other than Barcelona, is PSG. We must realize that this is something extraordinary.
“Of course! We are all excited, we should not trivialize it. We have only been talking about Messi, but we have brought in some great players. I have always said I wanted to play with great players, so this year I have certainly got that.”
Mbappe also expressed greater willingness to track back and help the team in defense when Messi is on the pitch with regular criticism aimed at the 22-year-old and Neymar for not working hard enough on that aspect.
“When you have Messi in your team, you know that he has to do a bit less to have some fuel left in the tank to be more clear-headed to score,” he said. “So, if you must track back, that is what you do. It is not an issue, there is an established hierarchy. I am happy to run when Messi is walking, it is not an issue! Come on, it is Messi!”
Mbappe is currently with the France national team to prepare for the UEFA Nations League final four against Belgium in Italy and then in a potential final or third placed playoff with the Italians or the Spanish. PSG return to action Oct. 15 against Angers SCO in Ligue 1 action before a date with RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Oct. 19, which you can stream on Paramount+.
