Kylian Mbappé and Leandro Paredes to meet again in World Cup final following PSG dressing room divisions | OneFootball

L’Équipe point out today that this Sunday’s World Cup final will also be a reunion between Leandro Paredes and Kylian Mbappé, who were far from being on good terms during their time at Paris Saint-Germain.

The Argentine midfielder, who is on loan at Juventus this season, had indicated in an interview with ESPN after leaving the French capital that he was not close to Mbappé – this would be explained by the tensions last season between the South American and French-speaking cliques within the PSG team.

Some members of the Francophone group were unhappy at the leniency towards some of the Latin Americans, notably when Messi and Paredes were absent from training the day after the Ballon d’Or in 2021.

Tensions came to a head and nearly got physical when Achraf Hakimi – Mbappé’s friend – and Leandro Paredes locked horns in training, the original reason for the altercation remaining unknown. The Moroccan pointed out the midfielder’s price tag in relation to what he considered to be his poor ball control, and the Argentine took aim at Hakimi’s footballing CV.

The clash appeared to have carried over to the pitch, as Ángel Di María scarcely passed to Hakimi on the right-hand side, to the irritation of Sergio Ramos. The Spanish veteran, who insulted Paredes during the first half of PSG’s match against Juventus earlier this year, had taken the side of Hakimi and Mbappé in the dressing room division. Messi, on his end, refused to take part in any antagonism and stayed away from the tension.