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Amid his disagreement with his striking partner Neymar, Kylian Mbappe has claimed that his playing role for Paris Saint-Germain is limited.
After scoring in France’s victory against Austria in the Nations League, Kylian Mbappe asserted that he is given “far more freedom” to play with France than with Paris Saint-Germain.
A two-goal victory for France on Thursday night lifted them off the bottom of the group rankings thanks to the striker’s opening goal.
In what turned out to be a straightforward but vital victory for Didier Deschamps’s team, his attack partner Olivier Giroud doubled the advantage.
Following his argument with Neymar over the team’s penalty takers during the Ligue 1 match against Montpellier last month, Mbappe’s remarks are the latest evidence that the striker is feeling uneasy in Paris.
After that incident, it was apparently necessary for former Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos to intervene to separate the quarreling couple in the locker room.
Lionel Messi served as a mediator to help ease the lingering tension between the two during a first-team meeting that PSG manager Christophe Galtier called to address the situation head-on.
The backlash continued as Neymar liked two social media postings criticizing Mbappe for the incident, including one that said the Frenchman dominated the team.
This statement was made in relation to rumors that Mbappe’s new three-year contract deal with the Ligue 1 champions would give him significant influence over the team’s sporting decisions.
The 23-year-old has continued to perform well for his team this season, scoring an outstanding 10 goals through his first nine games of the year. He will be looking to surpass his season-high goal total of 42.
However, his remarks following his national team performance imply that he is not fully at ease in his PSG position.
After France defeated Austria, Mbappe spoke to reporters and said: “Here, they ask me to play in a different manner. I have a lot more freedom with France than I have with PSG.
The coach is aware that Giroud is a ‘9,’ and I can shift to fill the opening he creates. In Paris, they require me to play the pivot, which is different.”
After the striker declined to participate in a picture shoot with the national team, Mbappe also addressed the subject of his image rights.
Mbappe is believed to have felt awkward about his appearance in such advertisements and to think that the national team uses some players’ photos more than others, changing how they are perceived by the public.
Other members of the French team withhold their participation in the discussion and state that they would like a say in the companies that international athletes partner with.
