Messi vs Mbappé: the mysterious relationship of the finalists in Qatar 2022

Lionel Messi vs. kylian mbappe, the final that football expected. The best representative of football in the last 15 years before whom he takes his post and for a few seasons he has shined in style. Argentina vs. France in Qatar 2022. Only one will celebrate.

And it is a duel that will enchant the world, because a lot has been said about their relationship since the arrival of Lionel Messi at PSG last season. Kylian Mbappé is the star of the Parisian squad, even though Neymar has also been on the squad since 2017.

Since the arrival of the Argentine star, it was known that something was not right in the dressing room. Lionel Messi arrived at PSG in mid-2021 and signed a contract in which he would earn 110 million euros net for three seasons, something that made him the highest paid in the club.

This changed with the renewal of Kylian Mbappé until 2025. In his new contract, the Frenchman went on to earn 100 million euros gross per season, some 50 thousand euros net per year, that is, in one campaign he would earn half of what Messi wins for three.

Words of Messi and Mbappé

Beyond the millions, everything indicates that they are not very friends, but there is not the anger that many think. In October of this year Ander Herrera, who played for PSG, gave some details of the relationship between Lionel Messi and Mbappé in the locker room of the Parisian team.

“They got along naturally. I think it’s good for Neymar to play with Messi, it’s good for Messi to play with Neymar, and it’s fantastic for Kylian to receive balls from both of them. He used to read stories about them when he was there, that they were trouble and that they fought. I was in the locker room and there was no fight. They exaggerate everything for the stars they are. I’m not there now, but I’ve read the stories and I don’t believe them. Because I’ve been there,” Ander Herrera told ESPN.

But Messi himself had clarified that there is no enmity between him and Mbappé. Since last year he has been trying to clear it up.

“With a player like him (Mbappé), it’s easy to get along, he also speaks perfect Spanish, so we’ve also talked a lot off the pitch. That makes it easier. I have only recently arrived and it is still premature to draw conclusions, but I am sure it will go well, ”he said in October 2021 in statements to France Football.

“I know Di María from the National Team, with Ney we played together for Barcelona. Kylian was the one I didn’t know on or off the field and little by little we are getting to know each other much more. Above all, getting to know each other on the field to try to relate better, to see how comfortable we feel with each other and obviously it’s very nice to be on the field with the best,” he declared in an interview with the same club in February. It was clear that he was not going to detail more things.

There is even talk that Lionel Messi was the ‘appeaser’ of the relationship between Kylian Mbappé and Neymar. It is known that the Frenchman is dissatisfied with the actions of the Brazilian, who has not been at the level of football in recent years and especially because of the choice of who should kick the penalties at the club.

Kylian Mbappé never imagined playing alongside Lionel Messi, since the Argentine was closely linked to Barcelona, ​​but in August 2021 they became teammates at PSG and this was said months later.

“He is a great player and I am happy for him. He is adjusting to a new life, a new city, a new club and it is necessary to adapt. Even if you win seven Ballon d’Ors, you also have to adapt, that’s the way it is, ”he declared last February. “If we have a great Messi, it’s better. It is easy to play with him. He is a great player and I always wanted to play with great players. Great players are made to play with great players,” he added.

In another interview, when asked about his future at PSG, he was clear. “I play with Messi, I have the pleasure of playing this season,” he said.

But last year he referred specifically to what he does on the field, when Lionel Messi is questioned for not running to help in the mark, when it is said that he walks the field.

“There is an established hierarchy. When you have Messi you know that he has to do a little less to be more lucid. I agree to run when Messi walks the field. I have no problem. Nothing more and nothing less we are talking about Messi! ”, He told L’Equipe in October 2021.

In the same interview he accepted that he called Neymar “clochrd”, something like calling him a clown. “Yes it’s correct. I called Neymar a ‘clochard’ because he was not happy with a pass. These are things that happen all the time in football. So right after, when it broke out, I called him to talk to him about it. This happens because we want to win. That’s it, no problem, ”he justified.

Thus, the relationship between Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé is not bad, nor are they friends like the Argentine is with Neymar or Luis Suárez, but they have shown the professionalism required to shine. Qatar 2022 awaits all of them in the final.

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