Mbappe and Neymar may have settled their feud; but will effect of 'penalty-gate' derail PSG's campaign?

PSG stars Kylian Mbappe and Neymar have reportedly settled their bitter feud after crunch talks with sporting director Luis Campos.

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After intense negotiations with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) sporting director Luis Campos, sensational strikers Kylian Mbappe and Neymar are said to have settled their bitter feud. Since the Ligue 1 champion's 5-2 victory over Montpellier on Saturday, when the duo argued over who should take PSG's second penalty, the two have been engaged in a public feud. Neymar responded by liking several tweets that were critical of his teammate, but Le Parisien reports that the animosity has subsided due to a meeting with Campos.

The disagreement between Mbappe and Neymar broke out on the field during the game regarding who should receive the penalty. The France international had missed from the spot earlier in the game, and when the Brazilian star went to take a second spot kick, Mbappe wanted to take that one too.

Although Neymar ultimately prevailed and scored, Mbappe was upset and showed a sour attitude throughout the game. The 23-year-old gave up on a counterattack when summer signing Vitinha opted not to pass him the ball. He also turned his back on the play, with Achraf Hakimi ending the move by dragging a shot wide.

The conflict then moved to social media, as Neymar liked tweets that claimed Mbappe's new big contract with the club contained the right for him to take penalties. According to Get French Football News, things between the pair have broken down over the past six months and the saga was now close to boiling point before both players agreed at the end of their meeting with Campos that the incident was over. PSG's sporting director and manager Christophe Galtier have told the pair to deal with any issues in the future off the pitch and away from cameras.

Neymar reportedly complained about his new position as the team's backup penalty taker. Mbappe believes he should have taken the second penalty even if he missed the first because he was designated as the game's penalty taker. However, it's been mentioned that the 23-year-old has been dealing with personal troubles lately, which might have affected how he reacted as the Brazilian forward took the second penalty kick.

It's not the first time Mbappe has been caught up in a penalty debacle, either. In 2019, the Frenchman refused to let Angel Di Maria take a spot-kick when the Argentine winger was on a hat-trick during a Le Classique outing against Marseille. Mbappe won the penalty and insisted he take it after that. But as luck would have it, Yohann Pele, the replacement goalkeeper, stopped his feeble attempt. What makes it even worse is that PSG were 3-1 up with only a few minutes of the match remaining.

So, is Mbappe's questionable attitude towards his teammates a serious cause of concern for Galtier? Will it derail the Parisian club's campaign and pursuit of Champions League glory? Legendary France and Arsenal striker Thierry Henry does not necessarily think so. "It's his [Mbappe] place," Henry said on punditry duty with Amazon Prime.

"He will, of course, have to show it [his best level] as he has shown from the start. But he has nothing to prove to anyone. The coach will have to find a way to play the three [Messi, Neymar, Mbappe] and make them happy… good luck. At PSG, there is always a debate, a problem. They won 5-2, and we're talking about Mbappe. Last year, it was Neymar, and it will always be like that; it's PSG," the veteran striker concluded. 

Meanwhile, PSG midfielder Marco Verratti defended Mbappe's gestures during the match. "Kylian is a player who always wants to do well. I think that with the missed penalty, he was sulking a little bit, but that's normal. He's a great player. He always wants to make a difference, and when he misses something, he's disappointed; that's normal. But then he showed it with the first goal, where he was decisive and another goal. But it pleases me when he's angry because it means he cares a lot about this team, wants to do well, and wants to make the difference." Only time will tell if the Italian defender's words will come true.