Neymar’s time at Paris Saint-Germain turned sour towards the end, and some of the reasons have now been revealed.
♦ Neymar’s career trajectory took a hit after leaving Barcelona for PSG in 2017, where he struggled to meet high expectations of winning the Champions League.
♦ Strained relationships with Kylian Mbappe and other members of the PSG squad contributed to a turbulent time for the Brazilian star in Paris.
♦ Neymar’s post-football plans include becoming a professional poker player, as he focuses on recovering from a recent ACL injury.
Neymar is one of the most talented footballers of the past two decades, perhaps only being eclipsed by Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. However, the forward never quite hit the heights expected of him when he made the world-record switch from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017.
As a youngster, big things were anticipated for the technically gifted prospect. His combination of flair and skill was mesmerising even as a teenager in his homeland and this earned him a blockbuster move to Camp Nou in 2013.
He would spend four years in Catalonia, becoming an established name at the top of world football. His rise to the top saw Neymar lift a Champions League trophy, two La Liga titles and a handful of domestic cups. It’s bizarre that the wonderful Brazilian is looked at as a man who has failed to deliver on expectations throughout his career, but that has become the perception in recent times.
Neymar’s descent on the football ladder seemingly began when he shocked everyone by leaving Barcelona to pursue a new challenge in France with Paris Saint-Germain. New details have been reported by L’Equipe, shedding some light on where things went wrong for the superstar at Parc des Princes.
His Relationship With Kylian Mbappe Soured
Neymar reportedly lost his teammate’s respect
The French publication claims that former staff members and players at PSG were contacted to gather information for the report. One of the claims made was that two of the star men in Paris failed to see eye to eye towards the end of Neymar’s stint at the club.
It is reported that Kylian Mbappe held the Brazilian in high regard upon joining from Monaco, but that respect eventually disintegrated. The pair were meant to be the shining lights of the French outfit and the players to fire them to European glory. That never panned out, as the closest the Parisiens came to lifting the Champions League was in 2020 when they were narrowly beaten by Bayern Munich in the final.
Part of the reason behind the relationship breaking down came when Mbappe was handed a bumper new contract in 2022 which saw the striker gain more control inside the club. Neymar isn’t the only big name who was unhappy with the situation, as a source claims: “Neymar and [Lionel] Messi were upset to see that the club had given the keys to the truck to Kylian.”
Training Ground Bust-ups
Including a clash with an assistant manager
It wasn’t only Mbappe who was getting on the wrong side of the 32-year-old, as it was also said that Neymar got into a heated exchange with Christophe Galtier’s assistant manager on the training ground during the French manager’s short spell at the club.
That’s not the only incident he was involved in during training either, as a witness has claimed to have seen the winger catch a youth player, Ismael Gharbi, while the youngster was on the ground. The witness reportedly said:
“Neymar caught him and gave him a brush and a blow to the head while he was on the ground. Everyone was shocked.”
Often not afraid of getting into the thick of things on the pitch, Neymar never backed down even when being kicked all over the place by opposing defenders who couldn’t cope with his technical ability.
That fiery nature appears to have followed the Brazil international onto the training ground as he is also said to have been in the middle of a bust-up between senior figures at the club, Achraf Hakimi, Lionel Messi, and Sergio Ramos. The latter quickly managed to cool the situation down, according to the report.
Post-Career Distractions
Neymar plans on turning pro in another field
Players have every right to think about what they will do with themselves after their relatively short football career comes to a close. Neymar appears to have done just that as he has previously stated his desire to become a professional poker player in the future.
The 32-year-old is an ambassador for PokerStars. Per the Daily Mail, the football sensation opened up about his desire to move into the new field when he hangs up his boots, saying:
“It’s true I plan to turn pro. I feel very comfortable playing poker and think I can play in major tournaments after my football career is over. I began playing during the 2014 World Cup, and I have fallen in love with the game.”
While there are no suggestions that his passion for poker has got in the way of his current career, there are suggestions in the report that he became less interested in domestic football at the end of his time with PSG. This may have been a contributing factor, as Neymar has accomplished almost everything possible at club level and his ambitions could have moved to his new love.
What Next for Neymar
The attacker is recovering from injury
His move to Al-Hilal in the summer of 2023 brought an end to his spell in France and, at the same time, made him one of the highest-paid footballers in the world. The club have recently lifted the Saudi Super Cup and are on course to win the league title.
However, Neymar hasn’t played a huge role in this success as he has been recovering from an ACL injury for the majority of the campaign. He suffered the awful injury while in action for his national team in late 2023 and could be seen in tears as he was stretchered off.
This means he has only played five times for his new team in his debut season, scoring once and registering three assists. He has also been ruled out of the upcoming Copa America tournament in the summer of 2024. This may have been one of the final opportunities for the Brazilian to lift silverware for his country, with his career entering its twilight years.
Neymar has yet to respond to the report on his time at PSG, and it is unclear whether the ace will at any point in the future. For now, he’s focused on his rehabilitation programme to return to the pitch as soon as he can.