Paris Saint-Germain manager Christophe Galtier manager insisted on Friday there is no bad blood between forwards Kylian Mbappe and Neymar even as the star players looked pensive during training.
Mbappe looked frustrated despite scoring in the 5-2 win over Montpellier last Saturday. The France international was playing his first competitive game since announcing he had agreed a new three-year deal to stay at PSG, turning down a move to Real Madrid.
He had missed his club's first two games of the new campaign - a 4-0 defeat of Nantes in the season-opening Champions Trophy, and then the 5-0 win at Clermont - due first to suspension and then injury.
But it was not a dream return as Neymar insisted on taking the team's second penalty against Montpellier after Mbappe had missed the first. The latter did not celebrate after Neymar converted the spot-kick and the question of who is PSG's main penalty taker has engulfed the club.
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PSG's Neymar celebrates scoring his side's second goal against Montpellier at the Parc des Princes on Saturday, August 13, 2022. AP -
PSG's Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi celebrate scoring against Montpellier. EPA -
PSG's Neymar scored a brace on Saturday. AP -
Paris Saint-Germain's midfielder Renato Sanches celebrates after scoring his team's fifth goal. AFP -
Lionel Messi kicks the ball during the match against Montpellier. AFP -
PSG's Kylian Mbappe also scored against Montpellier. AFP -
Kylian Mbappe celebrates with teammates after scoring. AFP -
French actor and singer Patrick Bruel applauds at Parc des Princes Stadium. AFP
However, Galtier said there is no serious issue between the two or in the club.
"We saw each other quickly the next day to iron out all that, to say what we had to say to each other," said Galtier ahead of Sunday's Ligue 1 visit to Lille.
"We had a very pleasant week at work. Everyone worked well. I enjoyed all the sessions this week and this epiphenomenon disappeared very quickly, that is to say the day after our meeting."
Galtier said after the game that instructions "had been respected" regarding penalty takers.
"There was a precise order in this game, Kylian as number one and 'Ney' as number two."
The penalty talk after Saturday’s game evoked memories of a spat between Neymar and former striker Edinson Cavani during the 2017-18 season. The two argued over who should take a penalty during a league game — an incident that came to be known in French media as “Penalty-gate.”
