‘It’s Easier’—PSG Chief Aims Dig at Kylian Mbappe | OneFootball

Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi appeared to take a side swipe at his former star player Kylian Mbappé, questioning his achievements for Real Madrid while lauding the French club’s maiden Champions League triumph.

Mbappé left PSG to join Real Madrid under a dark cloud in the summer of 2024. The prolific forward publicly snubbed the Spanish giants by signing a new contract three years ago. According to the shirt Al-Khelaifi proudly handed to Mbappé at a triumphant press conference, the French striker had penned a deal until 2025.

In reality, the terms of the agreement only kept Mbappé in Paris until 2024. The player had a universal option to trigger another 12-month extension but never followed through, instead leaving PSG without any compensation to join Real Madrid on a free transfer. The player and club are currently embroiled in an ongoing legal dispute about unpaid bonuses.

Individually, Mbappé has enjoyed an impressive debut campaign in the Spanish capital, amassing a record-breaking 43 goals across all competitions, the most of any debutant in Real Madrid history. The 26-year-old also won the European Golden Boot for the first time in his career after outscoring every other player in the continent’s top five leagues, yet failed to win a major title.

Al-Khelaifi indirectly questioned Mbappé’s personal achievements by claiming that “it’s easier to score goals in La Liga than in Ligue 1” during an extensive interview with Qatar broadcaster Al Kass.

PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi wholeheartedly celebrated PSG’s Champions League triumph. / IMAGO/Italy Photo Press

The club president justified this verdict by pointing to PSG’s success in the Champions League against clubs from the Premier League—a division which routinely bills itself as the best of the world while deriding the French top-flight as a ‘Farmers League’.

“Luis Enrique proudly represented Ligue 1 and defended it against Premier League fans who called it the Farmers League. We ended up beating Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, and Aston Villa in the Champions League this season,” Al-Khelaifi noted.

Mbappé struck a far more forgiving tone when he was asked about PSG’s Champions League success which he could never quite achieve in Paris.

“I didn’t leave too soon,” Mbappé told a press conference ahead of France’s Nations League third-place playoff against Germany. “My story with PSG was over. I am not bitter; I had reached the end of the road.

“I tried everything, and it was destiny that meant it had to happen without me. PSG winning the Champions League without me doesn’t affect me. I was happy—I think they deserved it.

“They’ve had so many years where they struggled. I’ve been there too; I’ve played in every Champions League stage in Paris except for the victory. They’re the best team in Europe. I don’t remember seeing a team win 5-0 in a major final.”