Rather silent on the news of Paris Saint-Germain lately, Leonardo stood out last July by publicly tackling Kylian Mbappé. Since then, the Brazilian still hasn’t found a job at a club, but he remains a good client for the media. And this time it’s Globoesporte that he confided. The 1994 and 1998 World Cups, his visits to the two Milanese rivals, everything happened. Unsurprisingly, his time at Paris Saint-Germain QSI version has not been forgotten. Direct witness of Qatar’s follies on the transfer window, Leonardo was able to be in the front row to see at work the incredible trio that PSG had on paper with Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé. A trident that has sold a lot of jerseys and other derivative products. On the ground, however, the situation is quite different. And Leonardo thinks he knows why.
“Honestly, I don’t think it’s an ego issue. There are people who are more complicated, and I don’t want to define here who is more complicated or less complicated. People with this level of talent are not complicated. They solve more problems than they create. And if you have to solve their problems, that’s part of it. You have to bear the burden and the premium. That’s part of it. So if you accept an attack like this, you’ve done everything you can for a team. After that it doesn’t work. And it’s not for nothing”he said, before continuing.
Leonardo has no fears for Neymar
“People have to feel good. These guys need a mindset, they need to feel good, they need recognition. And it is the club that must do this work, we are the managers. They also have to make themselves available for this to happen. » Dissolved by the PSG, the MNM no longer exists. Messi left to join Inter Miami, Mbappé is still enjoying the heyday of Paris (but until when?), while Neymar was pushed to Saudi Arabia and Al-Hilal. A transfer which has paid off big for PSG and which does not scare Leonardo, at a time when the Brazilians are wondering if this transfer will have consequences for the future of Ney in the national team.
“This movement that is happening in Saudi Arabia, it is normal that it is unknown. But it’s not just Neymar who goes to Saudi Arabia. I’m not Neymar, but I went to Japan when I was 24. It could have been a very questionable choice and, for me, it was a wonderful thing. Even if he is in a championship that we don’t know very well, he can maintain his form, he just has to want it. He must want it. He must maintain his form, his level of competitiveness and continue to play at a high level. I think it’s a big step forward, he felt involved. And he made the decision to leave. » Neymar will appreciate.
