Kylian Mbappé ‘can’t imagine’ a World Cup without Neymar Jr | OneFootball

Being able to separate the personal from the professional isn’t something everyone can manage. Kylian Mbappé (24), however, handles it perfectly. When asked about the potential absence of Neymar Jr (34) from the upcoming World Cup, the Frenchman was full of praise for the player with whom he had a strained relationship during their time together at Paris Saint-Germain.

“Neymar is Neymar. A great player. The World Cup is for the stars. And in my book, Neymar is one of the greatest. I don’t see a World Cup without Neymar,” said the captain of the French team in an interview with Globo Esporte TV. “For me, he makes the difference. I played with him, I learnt so much from him.”

And although the France captain was keen to tone down his comments, stating that he “couldn’t go against” his former manager Carlo Ancelotti and that he “respected” his decision not to select the 34-year-old, Mbappé nevertheless chose to end his remarks on a light-hearted note, joking that the Brazilian “will be there, he’ll be ready, I know him”.

Neymar, who was notably left out of Ancelotti’s squad for this March camp, has suffered a number of fitness setbacks since returning to Santos, where he is trying to regain his best form ahead of what is likely to be the last major international tournament of his career.

Teammates from 2017 to 2023 at PSG, Mbappé and Neymar played together 136 times, winning numerous trophies with Les Rouge et Bleu.

GFFN | Léo Aschi