Sergio Ramos instructed Neymar to show respect to Paris Saint-Germain’s decision to have Kylian Mbappe as their main penalty taker.
Ramos had to step-in and break up the two feuding forwards in the PSG dressing room after a Ligue 1 game against Montpellier in August.
Mbappe and Neymar fell out over the order of penalty takers in the clash as the fractious relationship between the two players came to light.
- Tyrell Malacia reveals Ten Hag warning after punch in face from Man Utd teammate
- Gabriel Jesus admits Guardiola forced him to make Man City exit
- Scholes names Man Utd duo who ‘aren’t great footballers’ & don’t suit Erik ten Hag
Mbappe did not convert the opening penalty of the game but he was unhappy that Neymar took the second spot kick during the game, which he converted.
PSG manager Christophe Galtier moved to tackle the issue head-on by staging a first-team meeting in which the two were rebuked and apologised, while Messi acted as a mediator to help stop the ongoing issue.
The fallout did not stop there, as Neymar went on to ‘like’ two social media posts that criticised Mbappe over the issue, including a post that said the France international “controlled” the club.
That comment was within the context of reports claiming that Mbappe would hold great sway in the club’s decisions as part of his new three-year contract extension with the Ligue 1 giants.
A deep delve into the relationship between Neymar and Mbappe has been revealed by French media outlet L’Equipe, who reported that the duo share a fractious relationship with both having to listen to teammates to quell their discontent with each other.
Ramos is highlighted for his role, in which he is reported to have instructed Neymar to respect the structure that was in place with the club and accept that Mbappe was first choice im taking penalties, while he would be first-choice in games which the Frenchman was not playing or if the team got more spot kicks in the game.
The Spaniard is said to have taken it upon himself in the morning after that game against Montpellier, as PSG boss Galtier and football advisor Luis Campos took a backseat – with the leaders in the dressing room, which includes Marquinhos, having to assert their authority.
Adding much-needed discipline to the PSG dressing room has been a priority for the new regime at the club, with former boss Pochettino and Director of Football Leonardo perceived to have failed in this respect.
