Paris Saint-Germain Boss Defends Neymar After 'Angry' Reaction Goes Viral

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star Neymar made headlines on social media for all the wrong reasons after he reacted unfavorably to being subbed off against Olympique Lyonnais this weekend, and club boss Christophe Galtier came to his defense.

Speaking with Prime Video Sport France following their 1-0 victory over Lyon, Galtier was asked about Neymar's reaction to the substitution.

"In these matches, the great players have to stand out like Neymar and Messi tonight who were very good. Neymar has worked a lot for the team. He came out, in my opinion, a little flushed and a little angry but that's normal. He has impeccable behavior," Galtier said as translated by Goal.com.

"He is the one who gives the best balance. He has volume and intensity, he is also generous to the team. He is both able to replace himself and to have dazzling, technical quality. He is a great entertainer."

The Brazilian star was visibly frustrated when Galtier opted to have Carlos Soler replace him at the 86th minute as he shook his head multiple times and was left fuming on the bench as PSG defeated Lyon.

It was an understandable reaction from him as he was responsible for the assist on the lone goal of the match despite Lyon's defense attempting to close out on both him and Lionel Messi.

Lyon had multiple opportunities to try and score an equalizer thanks to the efforts of Alexandre Lacazette, Toko Ekambi and Corentin Tolisso, but PSG keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma turned away their shots at every turn.

It is worth noting that Neymar, 30, had an opportunity to add to their lead at the 72nd minute as Messi fired a short pass to left-back Nuno Mendes, who found the Brazilian with a ton of space inside the box, only to have Lyon's Anthony Lopes easily predict the shot.

The frustration on Neymar's end may be that he wanted to have another chance at goal to potentially score his ninth Ligue 1 goal this season.

PSG fans vented their own disappointments at Galtier on social media for subbing off Neymar despite his performance while taking note of how vital the prolific forward is to the club's success.

Because of Galtier's response, it should be interesting to see what happens next between him and Neymar in the coming days, especially during their match against OGC Nice on October 2.