Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar Jr. opted not to have a low profile after the 1-0 first-leg loss to Bayern Munich on Tuesday night at the Parc des Princes.
The 31-year-old had an evening of poker and fast food, leading to many in the French media criticizing Neymar. Additionally, RMC Sport pundit Eric Di Meco believes the Brazilian’s actions were a shot at Mbappe.
During Mbappe’s postgame remarks to the media after the loss to the Bundesliga side, he called on his teammates to be committed 100 percent for the return leg on March 8.
“It is especially necessary that all our players are in good health,” Mbappe said Tuesday. “That everyone eats well, sleeps well.”
As a result, Di Meco ponders whether Neymar’s Thursday night out where a retaliation to what Mbappe said.
“I am fascinated,” Di Meco said on Thursday during the “Super Moscato Show.” “Paris is coming out of a European Cup match, with a big string of matches to come, and Mbappé has to tell his friends to be a little serious.
“Can you imagine where we are? The worst thing is that he says something normal. And the other (Neymar) wants to show that no one is telling him what to do … is not done on purpose and that this photo has no meaning.”
PSG’s form after the 2022 FIFA World Cup break is sluggish and they’re currently on a three-match losing streak in all competitions. The capital club can block out all the noise these next few weeks and hope it’s enough to turn their form around to advance to the quarterfinals.