“Someone remind Mbappe that at 22 years old, Messi had four Ballon d’Ors” - Wayne Rooney slams PSG superstar with ‘ego’ claim
Wayne Rooney has hit out at PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe for his apparent attitude towards Lionel Messi.
The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner appeared unimpressed as Mbappe appeared to needlessly bump him during their team's 5-2 win over Montpellier last weekend.
GOAL reported this week that the French international is unhappy that Neymar and Messi have formed a close bond, which has left the 23-year-old with less of a voice in the PSG dressing room.
Messi was in disbelief after Mbappe bumped into him 😭
https://t.co/iMiSMUzMCo
This has prompted Rooney to hit out at the ego of the World Cup winner, who signed a mega new contract over the summer to stay at the Parc des Princes.
Manchester United's and England's all-time record scorer stated (as per Roy Nemer):
"A 22-23 year old player throwing a shoulder at Messi... I have never seen a bigger ego than this in my life. Someone remind Mbappe that at 22 years old, Messi had four Ballon d'Ors."
Mbappe appeared to be extremely unhappy when Neymar took PSG's second penalty of the game after the Frenchman had missed his spot-kick earlier in the clash.
this via @DeparSports.
🗣 Wayne Rooney on Kylian Mbappe shouldering Lionel Messi: "A 22-23 year old player throwing a shoulder at Messi... I have never seen a bigger ego than this in my life. Someone remind Mbappe that at 22 years old, Messi had four Ballon d'Ors." 🏴🇫🇷🇦🇷 this via @DeparSports. https://t.co/mMwqrkYkwW
PSG boss Christophe Galtier defends Kylian Mbappe strop following Lionel Messi spat
The Parisians made it two wins from two to begin their Ligue 1 title defense, while scoring ten goals in the process. But it was the player's behavior that once again grabbed the headlines after the game.
Following his apparent disgruntlement at missing out on his team's second penalty, the former Monaco attacker also appeared to give up on the counter-attack after he did not receive a pass.
r/soccerPSG counter attack, Mbappe doesn't get the ball, so he gets angry, turns around and stops running.
🎥r/soccer https://t.co/Vp6zoWE0bU
The striker recently suffered injury problems, which manager Christophe Galtier was quick to point out after the victory over Montpellier in the French capital.
The PSG manager told Canal Plus (as quoted by GOAL):
"Kylian played his last game three weeks ago so I knew it was going to be tough on a physical level for him. He's a competitor. He wants to be good and he wants to be good quickly, but a top footballer is not on and off like that; it takes a little time to regain 100 per cent of his athletic abilities."
He added:
"When he's at 100 per cent, he'll make the difference even more. These are players who like to score, who want to score, who attack. It's a bit normal for him to be disappointed at being a little short physically compared to his teammates."