Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has risked upsetting Lionel Messi with his latest comments at Kylian Mbappe’s press conference on Monday.
Mbappe has opted to sign a three-year contract extension with the Ligue 1 champions, keeping him in the French capital until 2025. It means he will not be joining Real Madrid on a free transfer this summer, as many had expected.
It comes less than a year after the French club rejected a world record transfer offer from Los Blancos for the striker, whose contract at the Parc des Princes expires on 30 June. Last week the striker said that the decision on his future will be announced "in a matter of days" and it subsequently brought an end to a long-running saga.
Mbappe was said to have a verbal agreement in place to join Madrid earlier this season and the striker had recently hinted at a move to the Spanish capital while a recent interview suggested that he is open to leaving France. The Frenchman recently faced the Spanish giants in the Round of 16 of this season's Champions League as he netted a last-minute winner in the first-leg victory for Mauricio Pochettino's side. He also bagged in the return leg in Madrid, opening the scoring before a sensational Karim Benzema hat-trick ensured that PSG suffered more European heartache.
Yet Les Parisiens were able to secure a massive PR victory as the striker put pen to paper on a three-year deal. It followed reports which suggested that French president Emmanuel Macron has attempted to persuade Mbappe – with whom he has a friendship – to remain in Paris and reject the approach from the Spanish capital, which has now come off.
PSG chief Al-Khelaifi has now claimed that the striker is the world’s best player, as he revelled in the contract extension: “This is a great day in PSG’s history. Kylian is staying for three more seasons. It is a strong choice and a strong sign. We are keeping the best player in the world.”
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However, that somewhat contradicts the CEO’s comments last summer after completing the signing of Messi from Barcelona as a free agent, when Al-Khelaifi proudly stated: “It’s a historic moment for the club and for world football, it’s very special! Do you realise that we’ve signed Lionel Messi at PSG? It’s massive. We’re very happy and proud. We have the best player in the world.”
Now aged 34, Messi’s struggles at PSG this campaign saw him snubbed from the Ligue 1 Team of the Season selection while his dad Jorge admitted he "hopes" his son returns to Barcelona "some day". Recent reports have indicated that Messi is unhappy in Paris as he has failed to settle in the city and at the club for multiple reasons.
