"The star of PSG is not any individual player" - Club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi seemingly takes indirect dig at Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has seemingly taken an indirect dig at Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe while praising his side's start to the new campaign. The French giants notably lost Kylian Mbappe this summer as he decided against renewing his contract at the Parc des Princes.
The World Cup winner left on a free transfer, joining Real Madrid after a long drawn-out transfer saga. Mbappe is not the only superstar to leave Paris in recent years, with Lionel Messi and Neymar both deciding on an exit last summer. While Messi left for the US, where he joined Inter Miami, Neymar moved to Saudi Arabia, where he joined Al-Hilal.
With PSG losing some of their biggest stars, the sporting project at the club evolved to focus on youthful, exciting talents. It seems to be working well as they have won their first three games of the Ligue 1 season, scoring 13 goals and conceding just two.
Nasser Al-Khelaifi spoke about the impressive start, seemingly making an indirect Mbappe reference while praising the team. He told MARCA (via PSGTalk):
"The star of Paris Saint-Germain is not any individual player, it is our team, that is our star. And it is shining brightly.”
The president will hope his side remain consistent as they begin their UEFA Champions League campaign shortly. They are set to face Girona on September 18 in their first game of the competition.
"Compete until the end": Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti tells Kylian Mbappe
Kylian Mbappe has taken his superstardom from Paris to Madrid. He scored on his debut, helping Los Blancos to a 2-0 win over Atalanta in the UEFA Super Cup.
However, his start to life in La Liga has not been as easy. Real Madrid have won only two out of their first four games, and Mbappe has struggled to find his goalscoring form. He endured a short drought before getting on the scoresheet with a brace in their 2-0 win over Real Betis.
Carlo Ancelotti has now reminded Kylian Mbappe about the standards expected of him at Madrid while also praising his start to life at the club. The manager said during a press conference (via 90min):
"Real Madrid have very high standards because it's the biggest club in the world... This year, the new players like Kylian and Endrick are adapting very well... Never give up and compete until the end. That's what you have to do when you put on that shirt."
Real Madrid next face Real Sociedad in La Liga on September 14, before facing VfB Stuttgart in the Champions League on September 17.