PSG president demands respect after criticism of Kylian Mbappe deal
Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi demanded more respect for his club and Ligue 1 after criticism from La Liga.
Al-Khelaifi hinted at the disrespect following Kylian Mbappe’s decision to snub Real Madrid and stay in Paris on a three-year deal.
La Liga president Javier Tebas hit out at PSG on Saturday, calling the Mbappe agreement “an insult to football” while saying Al-Khelaifi’s club “is as dangerous as the Super League”.
Speaking on Monday at a press conference, Al-Khelaifi issued a veiled response to LaLiga’s complaints.
He said: “I respect all the clubs but we need respect as well. Respect is crucial. We are focused on our club, on our top player in the world and that is what matters for us.
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“Maybe it is a good thing if Ligue 1 is doing better than LaLiga, I always want to be positive and I think this is a positive thing for us and Ligue 1. LaLiga isn’t the same as it was three or four years ago.
“We have the best player in the world here with us for three years. What other people are saying, that’s not an issue. I’m not listening to that.
“Since day one when we met his family we have always spoken about football. Even when we signed him from Monaco, the thing I have learned about him is he is purely based on football, the way he likes talking about it and the way he plays the game.
“In terms of our investment we love France and the country and we want to create something, we want to win more trophies. We want to the win the league more times and we want to win the Champions League.”
Mbappe will reportedly receive £4million a month but the France international, who won the World Cup in 2018, insisted staying was not about money.
“We have spoken for months about the sporting project and for just a few minutes we spoke about money,” he said.
“Everyone knows I wanted to leave last year and I was convinced it would be the best decision. The years pass but they are different and the context is different, that goes for sporting teams and also personally I was free to make a decision.
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“I have always lived here and leaving my country wasn’t the right thing. There is a sentimental aspect to this, this is my country. The sporting project has changed as well. They made me want to stay because I don’t think my story is over yet.”
Al-Khelaifi added: “It wasn’t in terms of the investment, that is not the most important thing for Kylian, the most important thing was the sporting project rather than earnings. This was a sporting decision rather than a financial one.”
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