He preferred to react.
Tackle rumors before they spread.
Tuesday evening, Presnel Kimpembe came out of silence and posted a message on his social networks to respond to "false information", as he writes, on his account.
In this publication, sober in form (white writing on a black background) but firm in substance, he returns to a possible downgrading of his status as vice-captain of PSG.
“In the past few hours, I have been able to hear and read a lot about myself.
I therefore wish to make things clear in order to avoid continuing to spread false information about me.
I was not made aware of this decision, this is completely false… That said, I will always respect the decisions of the club”.
A message read almost a million times since its publication on Twitter.
pic.twitter.com/sZQ5C2NvoS
— Presnel Kimpembe (@kimpembe_3) January 24, 2023
A reaction - and perhaps the start of a new controversy at the club - which follows the words of his coach.
Christophe Galtier explained after the victory (0-7) in the Coupe de France against Pays de Cassel and the quintuplet of Mbappé, evening captain, that he had decided "at the start of the season" that "Kylian should be the second captain.
What the international defender visibly refutes.
If he has indeed already worn the armband last week, during the friendly match in Saudi Arabia, or in November 2021, against FC Nantes, it was the first time that the top scorer of the last World Cup wore it at the kick-off of a PSG meeting.
"He stayed at PSG and he deserved to have this armband when Marquinhos is not there," insisted Galtier.
Galtier's words challenge
The choice was logical and is not disputed by Kimpembe.
In the absence of Marquinhos, traditional captain, Presnel Kimpembe (injured) and Marco Verratti, usual vice-captains, Mbappé, who has become essential to PSG, is legitimate to wear the armband.
But the words of the coach challenge.
Why does Galtier claim that Mbappé is the only vice-captain while Kimpembe (Brest, Troyes) and Marco Verratti (Auxerre) have been captains in the absence of Marquinhos this season?
Matches that Mbappé played.
According to our information Kimpembe (who is recovering from tendinitis in the right Achilles tendon), Verratti and Ramos will have the opportunity to wear the armband again in the absence of Marquinhos and the function will not be limited to Kylian alone. Mbappé, as Christophe Galtier's statement could have implied.
For the Parisian coach, this group of five players remains a privileged relay and he consults him on various topics during the season.
The choice to entrust the armband to Mbappé on Monday simply confirms the growing influence in the Kid de Bondy locker room.
And the desire to continue to place it at the heart of the Parisian project.
