‘As a player and a man, he’s totally different’ - PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe pleased with change shown by France teammate
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) striker Kylian Mbappe is pleased with the changes shown by his France teammate Adrien Rabiot since the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Mbappe and Rabiot will likely be in action for Les Blues when they face the Republic of Ireland in their second UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers today (March 27). The PSG forward was speaking during a pre-match presser when he lavished praise on his longtime teammate.
He said (via Football-Italia):
“As a player and as a man, he’s totally different [from the World Cup]. I’ve been lucky to know him long ago, but I can see a calm footballer, confident about his strength and what he’s doing. Personally, he gives a lot of confidence."
Rabiot has been in fine form this season for club and country. He has featured 33 times across competitions for Juventus, scoring nine goals and providing four assists. He also earned plaudits for his performances at the World Cup at the end of last year, scoring one goal and providing an assist as France went on to finish as runners-up.
Mbappe continued his assessment of Rabiot's improvement and noted how important he has become for Les Bleus:
“He is doing things well and has become important in this group, you can see that on the pitch. He’s becoming a reference point and this is an advantage for France and for him because he’s always had talent.”
Mbappe and Rabiot played together for PSG before the midfielder made the move to Juventus in 2019. The 27-year-old has enjoyed his best season to date and is getting the praise some will argue he has merited for quite some time.
He continues to impress and interest is hotting up in his services, particularly from the Premier League. Reports claim that Manchester City are interested in Rabiot, whose contract with the Old Lady expires in the summer.
PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi insists Mbappe and Lionel Messi will be staying at the club
Meanwhile, PSG president Al-Khelaifi is adamant that his club will keep hold of the attacking duo of Lionel Messi and Mbappe. He told Marca:
"We are lucky to have some of the best players in the world, who wanted to play for PSG despite receiving offers from other clubs."
Al-Khelaifi added:
"We are working to keep them going. We are going to analyse what we are doing and make sure we can continue with them; we want to do things accordingly. We are not going to make mistakes."
Mbappe and Messi's future have been the subject of speculation amid PSG's topsy-turvy season under Christophe Galtier. The former put pen to paper on a new three-year deal last May, keeping him tied to the Parc des Princes until 2025. He snubbed interest from Real Madrid in the process but has never seemed overly content with life with the Parisians this season.
Meanwhile, Messi's future is uncertain as his contract expires at the end of the season. There have been talks over an extension but to no successful conclusion thus far. A potential return to Barcelona is looking increasingly likely.