“I got the hat-trick” - Kyle Walker opens up on how he managed to swap shirts with Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar
England defender Kyle Walker recently opened up about some of his most memorable jersey exchanges with Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappe. These exchanges took place during his time at Manchester City, when they had Champions League encounters against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
The trio were part of the Parisians' attacking trident, following Messi's move from Barcelona in 2021. They spent two years together before Messi and Neymar left Europe entirely. Notably, Walker got to play against them, as he discussed the three players on The Kyle Walker Podcast. The AC Milan full-back said (via GOAL):
“I was fortunate enough to play against Paris St-Germain a number of times when the famous three were playing - Neymar, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe. I got all three on different occasions. I got the hat-trick.”
Walker's defensive abilities were needed when Manchester City faced Paris Saint-Germain at the 2021 semi-finals. The Cityzens won 4-1 on aggregate, but they lost to Chelsea in the final, thanks to a goal from Kai Havertz. Walker also spoke about other shirts he collected:
“I have Ash's [Ashley Cole] shirt in my house. It is in a frame. He was one I wanted to collect... [Robert] Pires, I got an Aston Villa one when we played there, and he signed one personally to me... Fernando Torres at Chelsea... to get that shirt was a good one for me."
Walker is currently playing for AC Milan, on loan from Manchester City. It seems as though he may end up making the switch to the Italian club permanently.
When Neymar revealed Kylian Mbappe's jealousy over Lionel Messi's arrival at PSG
Back in January, Neymar revealed Kylian Mbappe felt "a little jealous" when Lionel Messi joined Paris Saint-Germain in August 2021. Neymar, who moved to PSG from Barcelona in 2017, narrated that he and Mbappe were quite close during their early years at the club.
The duo spent time together, despite having fights intermittently. They also had dinner and visited often. However, the Selecao winger explained how Lionel Messi changed the situation with his arrival. Speaking on Romario's podcast, he said (via ESPN):
"We had some good years of partnership, but after Messi came, Kylian Mbappe was a little jealous. He didn't want to split me with anyone. And then there were some fights, a change in behavior."
Lionel Messi had joined after Barcelona failed to renew his contract on time, and he was forced to leave the Catalan giants on a free transfer in 2021. In 2023, he left for Inter Miami. Kylian Mbappe stayed until 2024, before leaving on a free transfer to Real Madrid.
