Neymar Chasing Past Glories as Mbappe's Star Keeps on Rising
When Kylian Mbappe took center stage again for Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League this week, it must have been a rather strange feeling for Neymar.
Returning from his latest injury, the world's most expensive player was among the admirers as Mbappe slalomed through Real Madrid's tiring defense for yet another last-gasp winner.
It was the kind of goal Neymar once scored for fun. It was also a symbolic moment.
Because with Neymar a peripheral figure, and record seven-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi missing a penalty in another mediocre performance since having to leave Barcelona, it undeniably cemented Mbappe's No. 1 status at PSG.
The only snag is his contract expires in June and he can leave for free, after PSG had rejected Real Madrid's offer of 180 million euros ($205 million) last summer.
"Reste!" (Stay!) screamed the front page of newspaper Le Parisien, while sports daily L'Equipe dedicated a double-page spread Thursday showcasing Mbappe's outrageous statistics before doing the same to dissect Messi's unexceptional ratio from penalties of 103 goals from 133 shots.
With Messi playing below his best, the 23-year-old Mbappe has largely carried the team during a season in which PSG has relied heavily on late goals. His goal against Madrid took his Champions League tally to 32. At the same age, Messi had a healthy 25, but five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo was on 10 and Neymar seven — although Neymar was 21 years old when he joined Barcelona from Brazilian club Santos.
Still, Mbappe's continued rise is parallel to Neymar's stagnation.
When he sprained his left ankle in late November there was definitely a sense of deja vu as he went off on a stretcher. Since joining PSG in 2017, he has also had rib, groin and adductor injuries as well as breaking his right foot in February 2018.
Neymar had annoyed former coach Thomas Tuchel two years ago when a video showed him dancing at a birthday party after he had just recently returned from injury.
If the 30-year-old Neymar plays at Nantes on Saturday, it will be his 81st league appearance from a possible 177 matches since he joined — just 46 percent of the games.
Despite this, he signed a bumper new deal amid much fanfare last May, tying him to PSG until 2025.
By which time, Mbappe could be long gone.
For all the global appeal Neymar's image has generated, PSG may well regret making his new deal a top priority instead of focusing on getting Mbappe to sign a contract extension.
If Mbappe does leave, PSG would lose arguably the best player in the world and be left with an injury-prone forward whose best playing days are arguably behind him.