As part of his extensive interview with Gazzetta dello Sport published this morning, Kylian Mbappé notably speaks about the departure of his now-former Paris Saint-Germain teammate Lionel Messi.
After two years with the Ligue 1 champions, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner left on a free transfer to Inter Miami. A tumultuous end to his time in the French capital notably saw the Argentine briefly suspended by the club over an unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia as part of his commitment as the country’s tourism ambassador. In his final match for the club, Messi was notably booed by a large section of the Parc des Princes faithful
For Mbappé, his World Cup final rival was not appreciated enough during his time in France:
“We’re talking about potentially the best player in the history of football. It’s never good news when someone like Messi leaves. Personally I haven’t really understood why so many people were relieved that he was leaving. We’re talking about Messi, he should be respected – but instead, he didn’t get the respect he deserved in France. It’s a shame, but that’s how it went. He’ll have to be replaced as best as possible.”
Despite disappointment on the continental stage, Messi nevertheless leaves PSG as a double Ligue 1 winner – impressing during his second season in particular, with 16 goals and 16 assists in the league.