Despite his man of the match trophy, the most anticipated player of the evening did not stop in front of the press. PSG’s only scorer against Benfica (1-1), Tuesday, October 11, in the Champions League group stage, Kylian Mbappé did not comment on his departure intentions, revealed in the press earlier in the day. His coach and his teammates then took over to put out the fire.
“I don’t know anything. I just know that a rumor has become information and it has almost become a statement, swept Christophe Galtier in a press conference after a few laughs on his part. JI never heard of this kind of information, thoughts or discussions, whether with Kylian (Mbappe) or club management. A speech in line with that of Paris Saint-Germain football adviser, Luis Campos, on RMC Sport just before the match: “In my opinion yes [il reste en janvier]. He never told me anything. Neither to me… And I just asked the question to the president. For me, it is clear that Kylian Mbappé remains to complete his contract at PSG.
The Parisian coach especially wondered about the timing of what remains for him that“a rumor”. “I find it surprising that a rumor like this comes a few hours before the kick-off of a very important game. (…) Obviously I’m surprised that this rumor comes out in full preparation for this match. I have the right to be arrested. Who is this rumor for? Especially not to us”asked Christophe Galtier at a press conference.
However, the technician does not “[croit] not that the rumor disturbed the preparation of the match”in particular that of Kylian Mbappé, scorer from the penalty spot (39th) and the most dangerous Parisian on Tuesday evening. “This afternoon, we talked a lot about him. I didn’t talk about him, the objective was to stay focusedhe explained to the microphone of BeIN Sports. He makes a match with a lot of effort, generosity. He showed that he was a great player, focused on the game and the competition.”
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Christophe Galtier: “Kylian responded to rumors on the pitch” pic.twitter.com/a3y4YotAcL— beIN SPORTS (@beinsports_FR) October 11, 2022
“I saw Kylian focused on the game and on the club, as he has been for a long timeconfirmed one of his closest teammates, Achraf Hakimi, on RMC Sport. I see him happy here and I think that’s the most important thing.”
The supposed joy of the 2018 world champion also seemed to be the main element of language chosen for the communication strategy of Paris Saint-Germain. In front of the same microphone, Hugo Ekitike used the term to refer to his teammate: “I who often speak with Kylian, I know he is happy to be at the club, he works every day like the other players to perform and be the best.” “The only thing I can say is that Kylian is a friend and he is very happy here every day. He didn’t leave last season, I don’t believe in rumors“, continued Sergio Ramos on Canal +.
At the heart of the game and especially in the news, Kylian Mbappé will have been talked about all day long: before, during and after the meeting. However, we will have to wait for his first official statement on the subject.