Former Paris Saint-Germain star Kingsley Coman has backed Presnel Kimpembe to be the club's next captain - not Kylian Mbappe.
PSG boss Christophe Galtier raised eyebrows earlier this year when he announced that Mbappe was his vice-captain - stripping Kimpembe of the honour. Kimpembe responded by claiming he "was not made aware of this decision" in a social media post. Then, in February, Galtier did a U-turn by handing the armband back to Kimpembe.
Galtier initially gave Mbappe the vice-captaincy after he committed his future to PSG. The World Cup winner signed a new three-year deal with the Ligue 1 champions last year, a contract which saw his influence at the Parc des Princes - and wages - rise significantly.
Coman, who came through the ranks at PSG before joining Juventus in the summer of 2014, has reignited the captaincy debate by claiming Kimpembe should be given the armband if Marquinhos leaves the club. The Brazil international was named PSG captain in 2020.
PSG take on Coman's Bayern Munich in the second leg of their last-16 Champions League tie in Germany on Wednesday evening. Bayern won the first leg 1-0 thanks to Coman's second-half strike, as the Bundesliga champions dominated the game.
"I’m not impartial, it’s the friendship that’s talking here, but it would be great to always see Presnel as PSG captain, even if he has had the armband many times," Coman told Canal+, as quoted by RMC Sport. "It would be a source of pride for me.
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"Even for PSG’s young players, to see that one of us has gone all the way to the top to become captain, in a team with stars from all over, that buys great players, it would be great. Personally, even if I like Marqui, Presnel as captain speaks to me more."
The PSG vice-captaincy hit the headlines after PSG's 7-0 win against Pays de Cassel in the French Cup in January, when Mbappe scored five goals while wearing the armband.
"I decided that he is the second-captain since the beginning of the season," said Galtier when quizzed on why Sergio Ramos and Neymar were overlooked. "He deserves to have this armband when Marquinhos is not there because he has decided to stay."
Yet Kimpembe, who did not play in that cup tie, responded to those quotes on Instagram just hours later. He wrote, "In the last few hours I have been able to hear and read a lot about myself.
"I therefore wish to make things clear in order to avoid continuing to spread false information in this regard. I was not made aware of this decision, this is completely false... That said, I will always respect the decisions of the club."
The saga took another twist when Kimpembe was handed the armband for PSG's game against Lille last month. Coman's comments are interesting as he plays alongside Mbappe and Kimpembe at international level. Galtier, or whoever is in charge of PSG when the time comes to choose a new captain, faces a big decision.
