Neymar left PSG for Al Hilal in the summer of 2023 for a transfer fee of 95 million USD. At that time, Brazilian media said that Mbappe had pushed the group of South American or Latin players out of PSG, including Lionel Messi, Neymar, Mauro Icardi, Leandro Paredes or Juan Bernat. They implied that Mbappe was a "villain" by eliminating the friendliness of the Latin group.

A Brazilian Instagram account defended Mbappe after he scored twice to help PSG eliminate Barca in the Champions League quarter-finals. In response, Neymar responded: "What a self-deprecating, foreign-loving person."

Neymar did not mention Mbappe in this comment, but he also "liked" an article saying the French captain was a villain at PSG. According to SportBible , Neymar was upset because he was not considered the main star of the team. Because Mbappe is increasingly asserting his influence at PSG, both in terms of expertise and salary.

Neymar and Mbappe have both played for PSG since the summer of 2017. While Neymar has only played 173 matches and scored 118 goals for the Paris club, Mbappe has played 302 matches and scored 253 goals. Even when Messi moves to PSG, Mbappe still receives the highest salary in the team, up to 77 million USD per year. However, the 26-year-old striker will also leave PSG in the summer of 2024 to join Real Madrid as a free agent.

In early 2021, Neymar still referred to Mbappe as his "little brother" in interviews. Previously, Mbappe also called Neymar his "brother". The relationship between the two players became more tense after the 2022 World Cup, when Mbappe won the Golden Boot with eight goals, including a hat-trick in the final for runners-up France. The French striker was said to have given PSG an ultimatum, saying that he would only stay if Neymar left.

Hoang An