PSG superstar Neymar defies Kylian Mbappe's 'sleep well, eat well' message as he's spotted playing poker at luxurious Paris hotel after UCL loss
Neymar defied Kylian Mbappe's message to rest well following PSG's UEFA Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich by playing poker at a luxurious hotel just a day after the match.
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) hosted Bayern in the first leg of their Champions League Round-of-16 tie on Tuesday, February 14. However, the match ended in a 1-0 defeat for them despite the likes of Neymar and Mbappe taking to the field.
Les Parisiens now face the risk of crashing out of the Champions League, a tournament they have been yearning to win for a long time. They will need a turnaround in Germany on March 8 when the two sides meet again to qualify for the quarter-finals.
Despite Tuesday's demoralizing defeat, Mbappe is among those who have refused to throw the towel in just yet. Confident that the Parisians can turn things around in the second leg, the Frenchman has asked his teammates to rest well in the coming weeks.
Speaking after the loss to Bayern, he said:
"Everyone needs to be healthy, sleep well, eat well. We can do something there. If we are more offensive, they are uncomfortable. Let's quickly move on and go again."
Kylian Mbappé: “Everyone needs to be healthy, sleep well, eat well. We can do something there. If we are more offensive, they are uncomfortable. Let’s quickly move on & go again.” (C+)
However, the message does not appear to have gotten across to PSG superstar Neymar. The forward was spotted playing poker at a tournament at the Hyatt Regency in Paris on Wednesday, February 15.
The Brazilian icon, who is an ambassador for PokerStars, initially appeared at the online platform's European Poker Tour event in the afternoon. According to RMC, he then returned to participate in the €10,000 Mystery Bounty tournament in the evening.
PokerStars also confirmed Neymar's presence at the event by sharing clips of him on Instagram. In the said videos, the PSG superstar can be seen sitting at the Poker table in an olive green hoodie and cap.
psta.rs/Paris-10k
Well hello @neymarjr 👏
The soccer superstar is playing poker at #EPTParis in the €10k Mystery Bounty.
Follow his progress 👉 psta.rs/Paris-10k https://t.co/tlFaYwrKBS
PSG duo Neymar and Mbappe are not on good terms
It remains to be seen how Mbappe will accept Neymar's decision to participate in a poker tournament just a day after PSG's loss to Bayern. The two have already had issues between them this season.
The former Barcelona superstar reportedly sought a move away from the Parc des Princes in the summer. He allegedly did so after learning that the France international was trying to force him out of the club.
They were then involved in an argument over a penalty in the Parisians' win against Montpellier earlier in the season. The Brazilian is increasingly likely to leave the club at the end of the season, with Chelsea interested in him.