Only one being is missing and everything is depopulated.
Lamartine's verse would take on its full meaning if Kylian Mbappé were to miss the call on Wednesday (9 p.m.), in Madrid, during the Champions League round of 16 second leg between Real and PSG.
Certainly, the leader of Ligue 1 does not lack talent, from Neymar to Leo Messi, via Angel Di Maria, Marco Verratti or Marquinhos, to name a few.
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Champions League fixtures and results
But the Parisian defeat in Nice on Saturday (1-0) demonstrated, if it were still needed, that "
KM
", suspended at the Allianz Riviera, is not simply important, central or precious in the red galaxy and blue.
It is essential.
Harmless, his teammates broke their teeth on the Nice block for 90 minutes, with the unpleasant impression that they could have played for hours without finding the fault or making Walter Benitez, the opposing goalkeeper, shiver.
“
There is a PSG with Kylian and another without him
,” summed up Nice coach Christophe Galtier.
It remains to be seen whether PSG will be able to count on the one Leonardo describes as "the best player in the world" on Wednesday.
A question that is likely to remain unanswered until the last hours before the meeting.
Victim of a sole on the left foot in training, Monday, during a duel with Gana Gueye, the 23-year-old world champion “
carried out treatment (Monday afternoon).
The clinical examination is reassuring and a new point will be made in 24 hours.
“Explained the Parisian club on Monday.
A priori, the risk of fracture is ruled out, but the blow is serious enough to shake all of Paris.
The planets seemed to be aligned, however, with Achraf Hakimi and Leo Paredes returning to collective training in recent days.
Only Sergio Ramos (calf) and Ander Herrera (eye) squat the Parisian infirmary.
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Europe at his feet
If the PSG has every reason to tremble in the event of Mbappé's package, it is therefore that the ex-Monegasque makes rain and shine on the banks of the Seine.
Scorer, passer, detonator… There are the numbers (24 goals and 17 assists in 34 games), and everything else, the depth, the explosiveness, the speed… Described as a “
shark
” by Thomas Tuchel, a “
player fantastic
” by Mauricio Pochettino, it never ceases to amaze, to surprise.
Although Greg Paisley was not surprised by the performance of the Parisian number 7 against Real in the first leg, with this winning goal in the 94th minute (1-0).
"
We can no longer be surprised ," swears the
beIN Sports
consultant
, who
” from Mbappé to Santiago-Bernabeu, despite a context to say the least particular.
“
He has such a well-formed brain that I don't worry about him.
He will ignore the environment and I even think he will feed on it
, ”said the former Parisian before the injury on Monday.
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Impervious to pressure, Mbappé had in any case been in the first leg, with a successful performance and this goal which had put Real KO and all of Europe at his feet.
And this when he dreamed of joining… the Casa Blanca last summer.
PSG said no.
At the end of June, the Ile-de-France prodigy will be free to make his choice.
Some Spanish sources suggest that the decision has already been made.
Leonardo, he explained recently "
believe
" in a favorable outcome for PSG.
One thing is certain: Mbappé has his head in Paris, as we saw on the way out.
“
I said I was going to give it my all, but you had to show it with action
,” the 23-year-old phenom said three weeks ago, claiming that
Kylian Mbappé had unblocked the situation all by himself in the first leg (1-0).
SARAH MEYSSONNIER / REUTERS
To see if his left foot will leave him the leisure.
This would be an opportunity to twist the necks of skeptics who doubt this "
MNM
" (Mbappé, Neymar, Messi).
And there is reason to doubt.
Paris have conceded three of their five defeats this season when the trio debuted.
In fact, PSG have won only 50% of their matches with the "MNM", with 1.6 goals scored and 1.2 conceded, against 71% success, 2.2 goals scored and 0.8 conceded without she.
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By associating Kylian Mbappé, Leo Messi and Neymar, Paris has chosen to marry the imbalance.
“
As soon as we have the ball, if we hurt, that's the main thing.
If we recruited these players, it's because we believe
in it , ”Leonardo recently dropped in L'Équipe.
Mauricio Pochettino could decide to deprive himself of one of the three this Wednesday, but “
it would be an offense to football
”, as Paisley notes.
"
If it matches between them, it can do damage
," he adds, emphasizing the Messi-Mbappé connection.
"
Messi passing and Mbappé finishing, the formula is perfect
," said the former defender.
It remains to be seen whether Mbappé will be able to ensure the finish.