Rangers winger Djeidi Gassama has revealed the moment he left Neymar embarrassed in training and was warned he would pay for it.
The 22-year-old came up against the Brazil superstar during his time in the PSG academy and recalled nutmegging him in a rondo in front of Lionel Messi and several senior stars.
Speaking to Capte, Gassama said, “We were doing a rondo. As soon as five passes were completed, the guys in the middle would switch out. There were three or four groups, including the South American one with Messi and Neymar.
“I started with the youth group, then moved over. We won the ball back, and Neymar stepped into our circle. We completed five passes, and he came towards me, so I tried to nutmeg him. Since we had hit five passes, he had to leave the circle.
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“All the South Americans reacted straight away. They were like, ‘Oh la la, you tried to nutmeg him? You’re dead meat.’ He looked at me, and I was laughing with the others.”
Gassama said he was warned what would come next if he ended up on the opposite side in the next drill. He said, “They told me, ‘Just wait, you’re done for now. If he’s on the opposing team, you’re finished.’ But I ended up on his side, and we won.”
The Mauritanian international admitted Neymar made sure to remind him of the incident after training. He said, “In the locker room, Neymar said to me, ‘You think I forgot or what? You’re lucky we were on the same team. Next time, I’m going to tackle you hard.’
“That’s when I realised he really holds a grudge. When it gets under his skin like that, it’s intense. He takes it personally and will come right at you on the pitch.”
