Thomas Meunier has claimed that Neymar has "lost his magic" since joining Paris Saint-Germain. The Borussia Dortmund defender was a "big fan" of the Brazilian when he arrived at Parc des Princes from Barcelona in a world record deal in 2017, but feels his former team-mate's level has dropped in France.
Neymar has made less than 150 appearances for PSG over the past five years amid persistent struggles with injury and has only shown flashes of the brilliance that saw him emerge as a global superstar at Camp Nou - much to Meunier's disappointment.
What did Thomas Meunier say about Neymar?
The Belgian full-back, who spent three seasons with Neymar in Paris before moving to Dortmund in 2020, has told German outlet Kicker: "I have to admit that I was a big fan of Neymar when he was still playing at Barcelona. In Paris, however, he lost his magic, from my point of view.
"The comeback is all about him. If I was 10, I would have had his poster in my room."
Meunier endured a tough time at PSG himself, which he has blamed on the club's former sporting director Leonardo.
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"In Paris, I was sidelined by the then sports director [Leonardo] because I didn't want to extend my contract. Everything went without me, right up to the Champions League final - although I deserved to be there," he said.
"Privately it wasn't easy to leave Paris either. My wife, my children, I - we all loved the city. It was hard to give up. But over time we managed to adapt as a family."
How has Neymar responded?
Neymar has not taken too kindly to Meunier's criticism, with the PSG talisman logging on to social media to issue a response to his old colleague.
"This boy talks too much," Neymar replied to a post showing Meunier's comments on Instagram.
Instagram Could Neymar leave PSG this summer?
PSG are willing to offload Neymar during the summer transfer window if they receive a suitable offer, GOAL has confirmed. However, the player is reluctant to leave Paris.
"I want to stay at the club. I am still under contract for a few years," Neymar said amid PSG's pre-season tour.
"So far, the club has not told me anything like this [about wanting me to leave].
“I have nothing to prove to anyone. People know me, know who I am, how I behave on the pitch, what my game is.
"I don't need to prove myself. I just need to play my football to be happy. People talk too much. And they talk too much because they can't do anything else."
New PSG coach Christophe Galtier has added on Neymar's future: "What will happen between now and the end of the transfer window, I don't know.
"We announce him leaving, staying… I didn't have an individual interview with him on that. But he does not seem disturbed by all that can be said about him and his situation at PSG"
