Neal Maupay has incurred the wrath of Everton fans once again — and this time, he’s got on the wrong side of a former world champion boxer.
The striker is not exactly a popular figure among the Toffees faithful after scoring just one Premier League goal in 32 appearances for the club following a reported £15 million transfer.
Maupay is on loan at Ligue 1 side Marseille, where he is enjoying something of a more productive spell, but he will remain contracted to Everton unless certain terms of the agreement with the French club are met and his move becomes permanent.
Either way, he is not likely to be welcomed back to Merseyside any time soon given his most recent social media post about his employers.
On December 30, Maupay wrote on his official X account: “Whenever I’m having a bad day I just check the Everton score and smile.” This came after Sean Dyche’s team had been beaten 2-0 at home by Nottingham Forest, leaving them 15th in the standings.
Whenever I’m having a bad day I just check the Everton score and smile ?
— Neal Maupay (@nealmaupay_) December 29, 2024
Fans were understandably enraged — none more so than Tony Bellew, the former WBC cruiserweight champion who recorded 20 wins by knockout in a distinguished boxing career.
Tony Bellew fires back at Neal Maupay
Bellew, an ardent Everton supporter, replied to Maupay with the concise expletive of “P—k!”.
It isn’t the first time Maupay has used social media to clash with Evertonians.
In August 2024, shortly before his move to Marseille was finalised, he criticised supporters who were filmed lambasting players at a train station.
“Imagine another job where it’s normalised to get abuse like this,” he wrote. “Hanging around at a train station to scream at men who are trying their best…”
