‘There is no ego between Messi, Mbappe and Neymar’
Reading Time: 4min | Tue. 05.09.23. | 23:50
Former PSG director Leonardo opened up about the failure of the famous trio in Paris
When Lionel Messi arrived at Paris Saint Germain in 2021, everything was set up for the Champions League trophy. The Argentinian came to bolster the already strong attack and form a fearsome partnership with Kylian Mbappe and his former Barcelona teammate Neymar. But, it never happened. The reasons for this will be debated for years, and both Messi and Neymar acknowledged that they had a hard time in Paris, while the fans and some former footballers didn’t sympathize much with them. But, according to the former PSG sports director, it was the club itself who failed to properly back up players and give them more support.
The famous player and then director Leonardo was in his second tenure as PSG's top executive when Lionel Messi arrived. He returned for the second time in 2019 and played a major role in keeping Neymar at the club, which is now something fans don’t appreciate much, but at the time, it was a big deal. But he was sacked in 2022 along with coach Mauricio Pochettino to make way for Christophe Galtier and his close ally Luis Campos. Leonardo gave a big interview for the Brazilian publication ‘Ge’ in which he talked about the reasons why the experiment with superstars failed.
When quizzed if the egos of those three big players was the reason why it didn’t work out in Paris, he said:
“Honestly, I don't think so. There are people who are more complicated, and I don't want to define who is more or less complicated here. Those guys who have that level of talent aren't complicated. These people solve more problems than they create. And if you have to solve their problem, that's part of it. You have to take the burden and the bonus. That's part of it. So if you get an attack like that, you've done the most you could do for a team. Then it doesn't work. And it doesn't work for a reason. People have to feel good. These guys need a state of mind, they need to look good, they need to be recognized. And the club has to do this job, it's us, the leaders. They also have to put themselves in a position of availability for this to happen. Who wins championship is club. It is the company that wins the championship”
The Brazilian also talked very positively about Messi.
“Messi is on that football Olympus. He has Pele, Maradona and Messi. Let's put it like this, in chronological order, so as not to enter into the discussion of each one's position. Messi is a genius. A guy who is ahead, who sees ahead, with incredible constancy. He wasn't Messi for a week, he was Messi for 20 years. One thing, a running power, incredible speed, a genius guy” said Leonardo.
The Champions League trophy remains a ‘Holy Grail’ for PSG, but they seem to be so far away from it. As the former sports director, Leonardo had his views about the matter.
“Look, the Champions League is not easy to win. Manchester City just won now after 15 years of trying. There are many things together, teams like Real Madrid, Milan, Manchester United, these teams, if they are in an average or good moment, everything happens naturally. The player wants to go to these clubs, the press wants to talk about these clubs. The number of fans is infinitely higher than that of other clubs. These stadiums have traditions infinitely superior to other clubs. So all this is already created, it exists, it is an established thing. Getting into that elite group is hard enough. Of course, the fact that you didn't win is like carrying that lead ball tied around your ankle a little bit. But PSG is already among those who can win. He will go through better or worse times, hit the post in the final against Bayern Munich and lost 1-0, reached a semi-final later and lost to Manchester City. Sooner or later it will happen” said the Brazilian.
