Never a dull moment
Paris Saint-Germain sporting director forward Kylian Mbappe appeared to aim a dig at his manager on Instagram on Saturday night after he and his teammates endured a frustrating night against Reims.
After a goalless draw – in which Sergio Ramos received the 28th red card of his career – Mbappe looked to have made his feelings known with a since-deleted Instagram story post.
The 23-year-old shared a picture of himself, tagged in Reims, along with the hashtag ‘#pivotgang’, which the French press have interpreted as him expressing his discontent at the role he was played in on the night.
Mbappe ‘doesn’t like lone striker role’
Mbappe was the only member of PSG’s usual megastar frontline to begin the Ligue 1 game, with Lionel Messi and Neymar both missing.
Though he spearheaded the attack, some believe his Instagram post showed he was miffed at Christophe Galtier deploying him as the lone striker. He has expressed a preference for playing off another forward in the past.
Galtier on Mbappe performance
“Kylian was affected by Leo [Messi’s] and Neymar’s absence,” Galtier said after the game. “I thought that as the match progressed, the connection was going to be made. Ney didn’t start the game because he’s been playing a lot lately.
“As soon as he came on, we improved. It made for a more interesting second half as we were outnumbered. Unfortunately, he lacked a bit of accuracy in his finishing. Kylian had a shot saved by the goalkeeper.”
Major controversy in France tonight over Kylian Mbappé’s now deleted Instagram story with the hashtag “pivot gang” following PSG’s 0-0 draw with Reims.
Mbappé recently explained his preference for playing alongside a target man, like Giroud, rather than being the centre forward. pic.twitter.com/ivqk4uwiwt
— Get French Football News (@GFFN) October 9, 2022
Reports of Mbappe-Neymar friction
At the end of last month it was reported that Mbappe’s relationship with Neymar had become strained since the Frenchman’s decision to sign a lucrative renewal deal in Paris over a move to Real Madrid.
The report went as far as saying Mbappe wanted the former Barca man out of the PSG side, with Neymar said to be ‘astonished’ by the power and influence the France international now has with the Ligue 1 champions.
One way or another, there’s never a dull moment at PSG.
Related links:
- Denmark players will head to Qatar without families to protest human rights
- PSG sporting director admits signing Kylian Mbappé and Neymar was a mistake
- KFC threaten to sue FFF over Kylian Mbappé’s sponsorship issues
