PSG star striker Kylian Mbappé has opened up about Lionel Messi. Speaking on the sidelines of the Champions Trophy match against Toulouse on Wednesday, the French striker spoke unfiltered about his relationship with La Pulga, who made a short diversions to France between the summer of 2021 and 2023.
PSG is one of the most talked-about clubs in France. With its star-studded line-up, the club from the French capital has established itself as a European powerhouse, even if it has yet to be crowned a sporting powerhouse. For years, a number of big names have made detours to the French club with the aim of conquering Europe, but to date this has proved unsuccessful. Currently, the Qatari-run club is relying on Kylian Mbappé to achieve European success, following the departure of eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi and Neymar.
Mbappé and the lack of Messi
A former Barça star, Argentina’s La Pulga, who arrived at PSG in 2021 after 17 years as a professional with the Blaugrana (778 games for 672 goals), has failed to take PSG where the directors want them to go. After arriving with much fanfare, the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner has had a mixed time, tinged with controversy and fierce criticism. Although he has been away from French football since last June, Lionel Messi has left his mark, particularly on Kylian Mbappé.
Now alone at the helm of the Parisian project, the native of Bondy is under a great deal of pressure. Covered in the past by former Barça players, including Neymar, who took almost all the blame for PSG’s failures, Mbappé admits to having experienced a privileged moment in the past. Indeed, interviewed by Amazon Prime Video on the sidelines of the match against Toulouse, which he won on Wednesday evening, the Les Bleus captain hailed the passage of Lionel Messi, who served him well. “You always miss playing with Leo Messi,” he began.
“Playing with Messi was special”
While there were rumours that he played an important role in the Argentine star’s departure last summer, the Bondy native says he enjoyed playing with Messi, who is special. “For a striker like me, who likes to devour space, with him you go with the certainty that you can have the ball. It was a luxury that almost only he can give you. Beyond that, playing with Messi was special,” added Kylian Mbappé, now at the centre of a media uproar over his future.
In any case, while he claims to have enjoyed playing with Inter Miami’s new captain over the last few months, Mbappé has also impressed. Recently, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner publicly admitted that the 25-year-old French striker remains a very serious candidate for the forthcoming France Football Ballon d’Or awards. Apart from that, Messi does not take any real pleasure from his time in France.
Messi and his bitter adventure at PSG
When he announced his decision to sign for Inter Miami last June, La Pulga claimed to have been through hell in France. Between the scathing criticism he received in the press, the whistles from PSG fans and the internal workings of the club, which handed him the only penalty of his career – a humiliation for him – Messi still has bitter memories of Mbappé’s club. Indeed, he has taken every opportunity since his departure to share his bitterness.
From now on, Messi will be keeping a close eye on PSG, which is never a quiet river. While we wait to find out whether or not Kylian Mbappé will continue at the Paris-based club, he is currently surrounded by the likes of Ousmane Dembélé, Bradley Barcola, Randal Kolo Muani and Marco Asensio. It remains to be seen whether these players will be able to make the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner and his friend Neymar forget their time at the club.
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