The ego battles between Luis Enrique and Kylian Mbappe continued last night (Friday) for the third game in a row since the alleged striker informed Paris Saint-Germain chiefs that he will leave at the end of the season.
After he came off the bench against Nantes and was replaced against Rennes when his team was behind, in Monaco yesterday Luis Enrique took Mbappe off at halftime and as a result a show that was defined in France as a "circus" began.
Mbappe did not return to sit on the bench next to his friends, but went up to watch the game from the stands next to Faiza Lamari, his mother who also serves as his agent, not before doing a "davin round" at the Louis II stadium, handing out autographs and waving his hands at the Monaco fans in whose media he started his career.
In addition, during the second half, he was recorded by the television cameras making phone calls in the corridors of the stadium, and overall the star seemed to be quite smiling while Paris Saint-Germain failed to find the back of the net in the battle between the top team and the third team in the table, on the way to a 0:0 draw.
Kylian Mbappe in the stands next to his mother/GettyImages, Jean Catuffe
At the end, Luis Enrique repeated exactly the same argument he made after replacing Mbappe with Rann, when he explained the substitution last night: "It's a coach's decision 100%. We'll have to get used to playing without him sooner or later. It's my decision and I made it for the good of the team."
When asked if there was a problem between him and Mbappe, who before the last three games had hardly left the field, the Spanish coach answered: "I will not enter this game. I am a professional. There is no problem, I manage the team in the best way I can."
Luis Enrique added when he added regarding the part that Mbappe was absent from: "Without a doubt I preferred our version in the second half. I think we played better in it."
French journalist Bruno Salomon claimed that if Mbappe decided to go to the stand it was because a member of the management of Paris Saint-Germain advised him to do so.
In the meantime, another media outlet harshly attacked the coach of the French champions.
Daniel Riolo of "RMC" said: "It was another show in a circus that has many shows. We have a few more good months with this circus. I don't understand what Luis Enrique is doing, I don't like him. Humanly I don't think he is a person Good. I think he is a pretentious person without much value, he is a spiritual disciple of Guardiola who copies from him."
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Kylian Mbappe