irritated substitute then released scorer, Kylian Mbappé had a contrasting evening in Nantes

Left on the bench by Luis Enrique, who pleaded for squad turnover, the striker scored shortly after entering the hour mark. He also tried not to let his feelings show.

Scored on a penalty in the 78th minute, Kylian Mbappé’s 21st league goal of the season was not the most spectacular but, certainly, the most scrutinized. Entering the hour mark against Nantes, Saturday February 17, the center forward made the break for PSG (2-0), jostled until then. After deceiving the Nantes goalkeeper, Rémy Descamps, he smiled, pointed at the camera and sat down again, as if nothing had happened. Or almost.

Before kick-off, Luis Enrique’s decision not to field his top scorer from the start fueled all the speculation, two days after the revelation in the media of the superstar’s announcement to President Nasser Al-Khelaïfi of his departure at the end of the season. Neither the player nor the club have officially communicated on the subject.

Would the now imminent end of the French team captain’s stint in Ligue 1 be poorly received by French supporters? Those from Nantes rather whistled at him, but wasn’t it only as a one-night opponent? For their part, the 500 Parisian ultras had informed RMC Sport that they would not give him a special welcome, pending official communication.

“We had to rotate”

Luis Enrique suggested that Mbappé’s replacement status was part of a turnover of the squad, seventy-two hours after the victory in the Champions League against Real Sociedad (2-0). “We had to rotate to involve all the players”, explained the Spaniard, cryptically, without going into detail about the five changes. He simply brought in Ousmane Dembélé and Achraf Hakimi, other indisputable starters since the start of the season, at the same time as Kylian Mbappé. Questioned in the mixed zone, defender Danilo Pereira simply slipped: “Kylian and Ousmane are references here, it changes a little when they are not there.”

What does the main person think? Mystery. Apart from his wide smile in front of the camera following his goal, Kylian Mbappé said nothing. Images captured when the Parisian bus arrived at Beaujoire suggested that he was irritated. But, a little later, he was perfectly relaxed on the bench, alongside his friend Ousmane Dembélé. Before entering the game, then offering, at the end of the match, his jersey to a Parisian supporter.

The time has still not come to share his feelings, nor his plan for the future. Others talk, he is patient. The sporting objectives take precedence: bring PSG closer to a new French champion title, then, Tuesday March 5, bring back from San Sebastian a qualification for the quarter-finals of the Champions League. His last chance to offer his future ex-club the European coronation that he so hopes for. For a farewell that would be unforgettable.