Former Brazil international Walter Casagrande has criticized both Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) superstars Neymar and Kylian Mbappe for being “excessively vain” but believes the Brazilian has a more “treacherous” behavior.
Kylian Mbappe and Neymar fell out over the order of penalty kick takers in Saturday’s (August 14) 5-2 Ligue 1 win over Montpellier.
Mbappe saw his penalty saved earlier in the night, following which Neymar refused to let the Frenchman take the second spot-kick that the Parisians had won.
According to the Mirror, the on-field feud continued in the dressing room, prompting former Real Madrid skipper Sergio Ramos to step in and separate the duo.
Casagrande analyzed the fallout on UOL, and put most of the blame on Neymar, claiming that the Brazilian was “arrogant” and “boastful.” The former Brazilian forward wrote (via Lance):
“For me, it’s no surprise that PSG’s relationship problem right away. Neymar was terrible last year, the fans didn’t want him, PSG didn’t want Neymar. Mbappé only stayed because he received a lot of powers. Neymar is like that, arrogant, boastful, and thinks he’s the best.”
The former Corinthians star also criticized Neymar for liking a social media post that directly called out Mbappe, branding the 30-year-old treacherous.
“He [Neymar] was quiet while he was on the bottom. He played good games, he’s already put his wing out. Worst of all, he liked the comments about Mbappé because of the penalty. I think Neymar takes penalties better than Mbappé. The two are excessively vain, but Neymar has a more treacherous behavior than Mbappé.”
Mbappe-Neymar feud could be catastrophic for PSG’s campaign
Kylian Mbappe and Neymar are two of the best players in the world. The Parisians regularly rely on the duo to make things happen on the pitch, and it is important for them to get along. Unless they patch things up as quickly as possible, PSG could have a hard time playing their best football this season.
New manager Christophe Galtier must get on top of the situation and diffuse it. Settling the tussle between the two superstars won’t be straightforward, but the former Lille manager cannot allow the matter to get out of hand and threaten their Champions League aspirations.