Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar working hard to keep ‘explosive’ temper in check

The PSG forward was last season hit with a lengthy Champions League suspension for lashing out at match officials, while another incident saw him attack a fan

Neymar has admitted he is trying to “improve” on his bad-temper after his 2018/19 campaign was blighted by several high-profile incidents of ill-discipline.

The Paris Saint-Germain forward was last season hit with a lengthy Champions League suspension for lashing out at match officials, while another incident saw him attack a fan.

But the 27-year-old has said he is working on keeping his temper in check, revealing that he is attempting to “talk” about his problem, instead of “exploding”.

“I’m not a talkative person,” he told the Mirror . “I’m a very reserved guy, I keep things to myself.

“But it comes to a point where I end up frustrated, getting angry, exploding and not communicating in a correct way. I’m trying to improve on that.

“Whenever I have to have a certain conversation with someone, I try to talk. And I think this is doing me good.

“I think when you are mentally well things happen naturally. You are more likely to do the right things. If you are not so well, things will not happen the way you expect.

“Sometimes it’s hard because you always have to be perfect and as a human being it is impossible.”

He added: “I messed up several times and recovering all the confidence I had has a high price, but I think it’s normal for human beings to fail, it’s part of life and due to these errors you grow and learn.

“My parents, my sister, my family and my friends – it’s for them I play football and train every day, as I know they are always on my side. They are the people who helped me when I had nothing, so they are my inspiration.”

The Brazil international has made a bright start to the season, scoring two goals in two Ligue 1 appearances for defending champions PSG.