Kylian Mbappe was recently treated very harshly by PSG. He was “dismissed” by the coaching staff, isolated by his teammates in the locker room, boycotted by fans… It feels like the whole of Paris hates the captain of the French national team.
On March 2, in front of the gate of Parc des Princes Stadium, a banner appeared with the brief content: “Looking forward to June 30”. That can be understood as the message that PSG fans sent to striker Kylian Mbappe. They want the captain of the French national team to “get out of Paris” as soon as possible. Please emphasize that, after June 30, Mbappe’s contract with PSG will expire and become a free player.
As you know, Mbappe officially announced that he will not renew his contract with PSG a few days ago. He will leave Parc des Princes after the 2023/24 season ends. Although this 25-year-old striker has not revealed specific plans, most know his destination will be the Bernabeu. It is known that Real Madrid has even reserved the “number 10” shirt that veteran Luka Modric owns for Mbappe.
Parisians have a very negative attitude towards Mbappe and the banner in front of the Parc des Princes stadium gate last Sunday is just one of the ways to react. According to French media, after receiving notice of not agreeing to extend the contract from Mbappe, PSG “turned their face” towards him. The captain of the French national team was treated so coldly at Parc des Princes that it felt like he was being isolated.
Image of Mbappe (center) sitting on the bench in a recent PSG match
Remember in PSG’s recent goalless draw at rival Monaco, coach Luis Enrique made a confusing decision. That was the act of withdrawing Mbappe at the beginning of the second half to replace him with Randal Kolo Munani (even though at that time the home team was playing a deadlock attack and Mbappe had no physical problems). I would like to emphasize that in the past 7 years, since joining the Paris football team, Mbappe has never had to endure such resentment.
Explaining in the post-match press conference, coach Enrique also seemed very “frustration”. He affirmed that, because the French striker had not been playing well recently and often lost concentration, he decided to withdraw him midway through the match against Monaco. The Spanish strategist also added a blunt statement that he also needed to let PSG gradually adapt to playing without Mbappe in the squad.
That was not the first time PSG treated Mbappe poorly because he refused to commit to a long-term commitment to the club. Surely many people still remember that during the summer training session of 2023, the captain of the French national team was separated from the first team of the Paris team after he refused the offer to extend his contract. PSG was “so exhausted” that they pushed Mbappe to the B team to practice.
Coach Enrique seems to want to prove his power against Mbappe
In the opening match in Ligue 1 of the 2023/24 season against rival Lorient at Parc des Princes, PSG also “disparaged” Mbappe by not including his name in the squad registration list. In the second round, this 25-year-old striker was still exiled to the bench by coach Enrique. And it wasn’t until after half-time, when PSG was deadlocked in attack, that the Spanish coach decided to put Mbappe on the field. And he scored the opening goal against Toulouse just a few minutes later.
It’s true that “hate each other, hate each other all the way there and back”. There was a time when PSG loved Mbappe like a thin egg. Qatar’s owners even gave him the same power as a sports director – meaning the right to decide whether any player goes or stays at Parc des Princes and also… the head coach. Back then, even famous stars like Neymar or later Lionel Messi had to be somewhat humbled by Mbappe. What has happened recently creates the feeling that coach Enrique is just waiting for this moment to assert his power over Mbappe.
This can be considered a sad ending for a star who has devoted himself for the past 7 years to PSG. With what he did at Parc des Princes, he could have walked away with his head held high. The behavior of the French capital football team creates the feeling that they are “squeezing the lemon and removing the peel”, unworthy of the stature of a famous European football team.