Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique made a bold decision that surely resonated within the team when he took out Kylian Mbappé in the 65th minute despite trailing 1-0 and looking for the equalizing goal.
The Parisians secured a late game-tying goal from Gonçalo Ramos for the 1-1 draw against Stade Rennais on Sunday at the Parc des Princes. However, the game’s storyline involves Mbappé coming off.
RMC Sport pundit Christophe Dugarry reacted to the substitution and went after Enrique, whom he suspects of not liking the star of his team.
“I think Luis Enrique doesn’t like Kylian Mbappé,” Dugarry said on RMC Sport. “He doesn’t like the way he plays and his attitude. Is it because Luis Enrique has an oversized ego and wants to be the star, or because he has a certain Spanish vision of football?
“I don’t know anything about it. But I think he doesn’t like Kylian Mbappé. Did he hide it well? He has no choice. One time, he put it on the right, one time on the left, a shot in front. There have always been little sentences…
“Afterwards, Kylian Mbappé can tell him: ‘You take me out, but I’m going to show you that I’m the strongest and that I’m going to make you win because I want to finish well’, and Luis Enrique also has the right to shake him up a little because Kylian Mbappé’s performances are largely insufficient. So, I think it can be a win-win.”
PSG has decided to prioritize the club’s interests over any individual, learning from their past encounters with Neymar Jr. and Lionel Messi. Furthermore, leaders in Paris were cautious about allowing Mbappé too much sway within the team, as such a decision reportedly influenced the 2018 World Cup winner’s choice to leave at the end of the season.
Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see how this entire situation plays out and if Enrique doesn’t hesitate to pull Mbappé when it’s not his night.
