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He's fallen out with a few big names.

6 football superstars who’ve had beef with Neymar: Mbappe, Rivaldo…

Former Barcelona, PSG and Manchester United stars are among the superstars that have had beef with Neymar over the years.

The Brazilian star undoubtedly ranks among the best players of his generation, but every so often, he tends to land himself in hot water.

We’ve gone back throughout Neymar’s career and have found six players who’ve had beef with him at some point.

Kylian Mbappe

Mbappe and Neymar formed a close bond during their early years together in Paris, but it’s no secret that their relationship became strained towards the end.

Around the time Lionel Messi joined PSG, Mbappe’s behaviour around Neymar seemed to change as the trio often struggled to strike the right balance.

“I have my things with him, we had a little fight, but he was fundamental for us when he arrived,” Neymar told Romario in a recent interview.

“I used to call him Golden Boy. I always played with him, said he was going to be one of the best. I always helped, talked to him, he came to my place, we had dinner together.

“We had some good years of partnership, but after Messi came he was a little jealous. He didn’t want to split me with anyone. And then there were some fights, a change in behavior.

“It is good to have egos, but you have to know that you don’t play alone.”

Rivaldo

Neymar and Rivaldo recently got into a war of words after the Al-Hilal star claimed he could’ve replaced the legendary forward in Brazil’s iconic 2002 World Cup-winning side.

Rivaldo didn’t take Neymar’s comments lightly as he promptly bit back with a response of his own on social media.

“I heard Neymar say that in his prime, he could have played in my place at the 2002 World Cup,” Rivaldo said on Instagram.

“Honestly, I recognize his talent and quality, and I even believe he could have been in that team, but playing in my place would have been a different story.

“With all the respect and admiration I have for him, I can say with 100% certainty that it wouldn’t happen.

“At that time, I was so focused, determined and hungry to win the world title that no one, no matter how good they were at the height of their career, could take my place.”

Nelson Semedo

Shortly before Neymar’s blockbuster move to PSG, he was involved in a training session bust-up with Semedo who had only just joined Barcelona.

The bust-up occurred after Semedo had tried to tackle Neymar which the Brazilian took issue with. Fortunately, the likes of Javier Mascherano and Sergio Busquets were on hand to break up the squabble.

“At the time it really annoyed me,” Semedo told Portuguese outlet Mais Futebol.

“I had only arrived at the club and one of the most important players was in a fight with me, and at the time I had no idea he wished to leave, he was in a difficult moment.

“The incident did not set me back, and these things happen in training and I had the support of my teammates and my friends.”


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Edinson Cavani

During Neymar’s debut season in Paris, he was caught up in some drama with Cavani, infamously known as ‘penalty gate’.

Tension between the pair seemed to boil over after Neymar was denied the chance to take a penalty against Lyon which Cavani ultimately missed.

While there did seem to be a bit of tension between the pair around that time, Neymar has since claimed that the story was made to sound bigger than it was.

“It was made to sound bigger than it really was,” Neymar told Altas Horas.

“Of course, there was a certain tension, friction with Cavani, but we resolved it quickly. Three days after it happened, we all sat down and we talked.

“We’re two great players, but we’re also people and we had to resolve the personal side of things.”

Gianluigi Donnarumma

Following PSG’s exit from the Champions League in 2022, Neymar was reportedly caught up in a heated exchange with Donnarumma after the game.

After narrowly beating Real Madrid in the first leg, the Spanish giants flipped the game on its head in the second leg and won the tie 3-2 on aggregate.

Neymar was said to be dissatisfied with Donnarumma’s mistake for Real Madrid’s opening goal, while the goalkeeper was critical of Neymar for losing possession in the build-up to Madrid’s second goal.

However, Neymar did play down the reports of a bust-up with Donnarumma and he publicly backed the goalkeeper who was facing plenty of scrutiny at the time.

Neymar of Al Hilal and Lionel Messi of Inter Miami

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Tiago Djalo

Neymar was shown a second yellow card following an altercation with Djalo back in April 2021.

The Brazilian lost his head towards the end of the game and shoved Djalo which prompted the referee to send him off.

The beef then continued after the game as the pair got into another squabble in the tunnel after PSG had lost the game 1-0.

“In the dressing room tunnel, he said things to me that I ignored. He even threw tape [that is wrapped around players’ ankles] in my face,” Djalo told A Bola.

“What did he say? I don’t know, but they weren’t good things. It is part of the game, but it is what Neymar lacks, a little more respect. Neymar needs to have more respect.”