"Money and ego destroyed a great friendship" - Fans react as ex-PSG teammates Kylian Mbappe and Neymar Jr unfollow each other on Instagram
Fans reacted on X (formerly Twitter) after former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) teammates Kylian Mbappe and Neymar unfollowed each other on Instagram, alluding to the end of their friendship.
Their five-year tenure at PSG together came to an abrupt end on August 15 when the latter joined SPL side Al-Hilal for a reported transfer fee of €90 million.
However, it appears that their friendship has also drawn to a close after many fans noticed the two superstars no longer follow each other on Instagram.
The reason isn't fully confirmed yet. However, several fans believe it was due to Kylian Mbappe not publicly bidding Neymar farewell when the Brazilian No. 10 joined Al-Hilal.
The French superstar posted a heartful farewell to Lionel Messi when the Argentina ace joined Inter Miami over the summer. He has also posted pictures with several PSG players who left the club in the summer transfer window.
The straw that broke the camel's back appears to have been Mbappe's goodbye story for Marco Veratti on Instagram after the latter joined Al-Arabi on Wednesday (September 13). This led to the mutual unfollowing of both superstars who boast a total of more than 320 million followers on Instagram.
Fanbases of both stars were left divided by this news with one fan even claiming that money and ego destroyed their bond:
"How money and ego destroyed a great friendship."
Even though both superstars unfollowed each other today, tensions between the two were reportedly growing ever since last season. Neymar felt that Kylian Mbappe was allegedly trying to force the former out of the club. The Brazilian icon also liked an Instagram post that suggested the 24-year-old had more influence in PSG due to his new contract (via MARCA).
How good were Kylian Mbappe and Neymar as a duo at PSG?
Neymar joined PSG from Barcelona in the summer of 2017, before Kylian Mbappe joined the following year. The two megastars formed a lethal partnership in attack, combining for a total of 335 goals across all competitions over a five-year tenure. Let's look at how they individually performed.
Mbappe has scored 217 goals and provided 98 assists to date in 263 appearances across all competitions. In contrast, Neymar scored 118 goals and registered 77 assists in 173 appearances in total.
The former PSG duo also won 13 major trophies together, including five Ligue 1 titles. They reached the UEFA Champions final in 2020, which they lost against Bayern Munich.
Both players were deadly on their day together and it is a shame that seem to have reportedly fallen out over the past year.