Recently, Ligue 1+ highlighted Ousmane Dembélé’s harsh words towards Leonardo Balerdi to promote his inside documentary on the last Classic (5-0). And if the trash-talking of the Paris Saint-Germain star caused a sensation, Manuel Neuer confided in an interview with France Football that he was not particularly a fan of this way of speaking to an opponent.
“No, not really. In my private life, when I play a game of padel or ping-pong with friends, it can happen. But not in professional sports. Today, everything is filmed. Verbal provocation is not a good thing. There are a lot of people watching and we are role models for many. Sure, it can help destabilize an opposing attacker, but other things also work well. And, even after a defeat, fair play counts: we go see the opponent, we shake their hand, and we return to the locker room”he said.
