"Yes I said it" - PSG star Mbappe admits to calling Neymar a 'bum' during bench outburst
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) forward Kylian Mbappe has admitted to calling club teammate Neymar Jr. a "bum" during a recent Ligue 1 clash.
PSG played Montpellier on September 26 in a bid to keep hold of top spot in the French top flight. The Parisians won the game 2-0, with Idrissa Gueye and Julian Draxler netting the goals. French forward Kylian Mbappe started the match alongside Neymar Jr. in attack for PSG.
While neither could find the net, Neymar did provide an assist for Draxler's goal. The match, however, was overshadowed by a different incident. Cameras caught Mbappe calling Neymar a "clochard," meaning "bum" or "tramp" on the PSG bench after the French star was substituted.
Rumors of a rift within the star-studded PSG dressing room quickly began making headlines following the incident. However, Mbappe has now come out and confirmed that the episode was overplayed and that there are no problems between himself and Neymar.
Speaking to L'Equipe (via Goal), Mbappe said:
“Yes, yes, I said it. Now these are things which happen all the time in football. It just needs to be something that doesn’t linger. That’s why, right after, given how it blew up, I spoke to him (Neymar) about it. We already had a few exchanges like that in the past and it will continue, because we want to win, but there shouldn’t be a certain resentment.”
The 22-year-old World Cup winner went on to add:
“There isn’t any here at all because I respect the player and the man, and I admire what he is. But that’s it, I wasn’t happy with a pass. One day it happened to me too, I didn’t pass it and he wasn’t happy. But there’s no issue.”
Mbappe confirmed to L'Equipe that he called Neymar a ‘bum’ for not passing to him 👀 https://t.co/pcSB9VMNcm
Kylian Mbappe has been in fine form for PSG this season
Kylian Mbappe has started the 2021-22 season in good form. The Frenchman has recorded four goals and five assists for PSG in 11 matches this term.
Mbappe's performances have helped the French giants take a commanding six-point lead at the top of the Ligue 1 table. They currently sit on 24 points from nine matches despite losing their most recent game 2-0 against 11th placed Rennes.
Rennes 2-0 PSG.
PSG didn't have a single shot on target.
Messi, Neymar and Mbappe all started. https://t.co/QIWkVUa0nr
The larger talking point, however, has been about the lack of chemistry between PSG's star-studded forward trio. Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr. and Kylian Mbappe are yet to function productively upfront for the Parisians. They drew a blank again in PSG's recent defeat to Rennes.
However, Mbappe did assist Messi's maiden goal for PSG during their match against Manchester City in the Champions League last week.