Kylian Mbappe’s sky-high expectations of his Paris Saint-Germain teammates have been laid bare in footage showing him openly criticising Achraf Hakimi.
Mbappe has been installed as the undisputed kingpin at PSG after the club pulled out all the stops to ensure he did not join Real Madrid in the summer. The 23-year-old striker will reportedly be paid around €100million (£87.5m) per year after penning a bumper contract which will keep him at the club until June 2025.
His relationship with Neymar has frequently come under the microscope, with the two superstars clashing both on and off the pitch. Despite playing alongside Neymar and Lionel Messi, Mbappe has the most influence, with the Frenchman reportedly having a say on the overall direction of the club.
Mbappe’s weight in the dressing room has been made clear from a video of him in a frank conversation with right-back Hakimi as they come out of the dressing room. The footage, which is from the 2021/22 season and is from Prime Video, has gone viral on Twitter. Translated from French, here is the exchange, which appears to be about a pass Hakimi misplaced in the first half.
Mbappe: "I swear, watch the video."
Hakimi: "If it's like that, I'm sorry."
Mbappe: "It's not enough to be sorry, give a good ball!"
So far this season, Mbappe’s teammates appear to be following his advice. Mbappe has filled his boots, scoring seven goals in five Ligue 1 games and two in his opening Champions League match, which PSG won 2-1 against Juventus this week.
New manager Christophe Galtier is the man tasked with getting the best out of a fractious dressing room. Things appear to be going well, with Neymar providing a beautiful chipped assist for Mbappe’s opening goal against Juve and Hakimi combining for the second minutes later.
Mbappe is certainly ambitious, with the Ballon d’Or in his sights after an era of dominance from Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. “I think I’m about to win it,” he told the New York Times. “I always say I dream about everything,” he said. “I have no limits. So of course, like you say, it’s a new generation. And Ronaldo, Messi – you’re gonna stop. We have to find someone else, someone new.”
He believes that he and compatriot Karim Benzema are among the favourites for the Ballon d'Or this year, along with Bayern Munich and Senegal star Sadio Mane.
The Champions League is the ultimate goal for PSG this season, following years of near-misses in Europe’s premier club competition. The French champions are in Group H, along with Juventus, Benfica and Maccabi Haifa. Galtier’s side are currently second in Ligue 1, behind in-form Lens, having won five of their opening six fixtures.
