Did Messi get in between the PSG stars?

Kylian Mbappe and Neymar’s time together at Paris Saint-Germain has been over for a while, but now, they don’t even follow each other on Instagram.

Over the latest international break, the global soccer stars who boast a combined 320 million followers on Instagram, each lost one notable follower. The French and Brazilian No. 10s went from creating magic on the pitch to a broken relationship beyond it, leaving fans to wonder, how did they get here?

Why did Neymar unfollow Mbappe on Instagram?

Some hawk-eyed fans are pointing to Mbappe’s posts about players who left PSG in the past year. The Frenchman produced a heartfelt goodbye post on Instagram to Messi when he left for Inter Miami, but not one to Neymar when he moved to Saudi club Al-Hilal. Furthermore, Mbappe posted pictures with other members of the squad who found new clubs and reposted goodbye messages from the PSG account on his story.

The timing of the mutual unfollowing suggests that the breaking point for Neymar seemed to be Mbappe’s goodbye story to Marco Verratti, who also accepted a transfer to Saudi Arabia, although nobody knows the reason for sure.

Neymar and Mbappe’s troubled relationship at PSG

Neymar and Mbappe’s relationship blossomed on the pitch quickly in Paris. In the five years they were at the club together, they combined for 335 goals for the club in all competitions.

However, over time, tensions grew between them. Last season, L’Equipe reported that Neymar felt Mbappe was trying to force him out of the club in the summer. The two fought over who would take a penalty kick early in the season, and then Neymar was spotted liking a post that suggested Mbappe had more influence over the club because of his new contract.

The reality is that while the relationship was not perfect, it also produced historic results at Paris Saint-Germain. Despite the signs of tension, fans of both players were shocked and saddened to see the relationship come to a virtual end in this way.