"Incompetent journalists who want to promote themselves" - Neymar denies rumored bust-up with Donnarumma after PSG defeat to Real Madrid
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) forward Neymar has denied a reported dressing room bust-up with Gianluigi Donnarumma after the Ligue 1 giants' dramatic exit from the Champions League.
Mauricio Pochettino's men looked well in control of their fate in the competition at the end of the first half of the second leg against Real Madrid on Wednesday. Kylian Mbappe, who scored the only goal of the first leg in Paris, showed his quality again by helping his side take the lead at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Despite establishing a two-goal advantage on aggregate, PSG crumbled just after the hour mark. Karim Benzema netted a stunning hat-trick in the space of just 17 minutes to turn the tables for Real Madrid.
The hosts secured a 3-1 win on the night and progressed to the quarter-finals at PSG's expense. In the wake of their shocking loss to Real Madrid, reports emerged that Neymar was involved in a dressing room row with goalkeeper Donnarumma.
#PSG
Neymar shares his private WhatsApp talk with Gigio Donnarumma to deny rumours of fights in the dressing room. 📲⛔️ #PSG
“It’s absolutely fake - we had no fight after the game”, Neymar added on Instagram.
The story has been denied even on Donnarumma side. https://t.co/JoiAgaLPRd
It was claimed the Brazilian blamed Donnarumma for Real Madrid's opening goal and that their teammates had to separate the duo after a heated altercation.
Amid talk of the reported bust-up doing the rounds on social media, Neymar has now outrightly denied the same. The 30-year-old insisted it is nothing but a lie and the perpetrators of the same were 'incompetent journalists'.
Neymar wrote on Instagram (via GOAL):
"I hate coming here and talking about news, but the previous post is a lie," Neymar said on Instagram. "There was no fight inside the locker room.
"Incompetent journalists who want to promote themselves, try the next one ok?"
Neymar also posted a screenshot of his WhatsApp chat with Donnarumma, which read:
"Calm down, in football it can happen. We are a team and we are with you. You're very young and you're going to win a lot of things. Get up and let's move on!"
Real Madrid defeat highlights ever-present PSG flaw
For all the money they've spent and the talent they have at their disposal, PSG have come up short in the Champions League, yet again.
The Qatar Sports Investments-backed club consider winning the Champions League as their holy grail. With Neymar, Mbappe and Lionel Messi within their ranks, it seemed as if they had finally managed to find the right personnel to go all the way.
PSG’s Qatari ownership wants to get rid of Neymar.
🚨 PSG’s Qatari ownership wants to get rid of Neymar.
(Source: @Romain_Molina) https://t.co/X3pvITKW68
But what transpired against Real Madrid proved to be a repeat of the past. PSG were disjointed and wilted under the lights during yet another Champions League night. The result is expected to have serious ramifications, with the club's hierarchy reportedly frustrated with the catastrophic exit.