Assuming coach Luis Enrique chooses his best player, Kylian Mbappe will play his final match as a Paris Saint-Germain player on Friday against his previous club, Monaco.If coach Luis Enrique chooses to start his best player, Kylian Mbappe will play his final game for Paris Saint-Germain against his previous team, Monaco, on Friday. Since Mbappe informed the Qatar-owned club he would be leaving at the end of this season, he has learned he is no longer guaranteed a spot in the starting lineup, which has put the France captain’s relationship with the PSG manager under scrutiny. After seven years at the Parc des Princes, Mbappe informed PSG in mid-February that he wished to leave when his contract expired in June. Real Madrid was set to be his next stop.
In response, Luis Enrique decided to start the 25-year-old on the bench for their upcoming match against Nantes, even though Mbappe entered the game and scored a penalty in a 2-0 victory.
Surprisingly enough, Mbappe started last week’s home game against Rennes and wore the captain’s armband in Marquinhos’ absence before being replaced 65 minutes in.
At the time, PSG was behind 1-0, but they rallied to tie the game when Goncalo Ramos, his replacement, won and converted a penalty.
Despite making 292 appearances since joining from Monaco in 2017, Mbappe, PSG’s all-time top scorer with 244 goals, has seldom ever started from the bench.
He has been substituted earlier than previous weekend, but only when injured or PSG was already winning.
“It’s really easy. When asked why he had taken Mbappe out, Luis Enrique remarked, “We’ll have to get used to playing without Kylian sooner or later.”
“When I want to play him I will do so, and if I don’t want to, the same thing.”
PSG must plan for the future, and their position in Ligue 1 allows them to do so — despite drawing against Rennes, Luis Enrique’s club is 11 points ahead of second-placed Brest with 11 games remaining.
Given that Paris travels to Spain with a 2-0 lead in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Real Sociedad on Tuesday, there may be a temptation to rest Mbappe in Monaco.
They’ve been eliminated in the last 16 in five of the last seven seasons, and reaching the quarter-finals this year is the minimum goal in Europe for the French champions.
Mbappe, however, will want to play for Monaco, who are currently third in the table and chasing Champions League qualifying.
He first emerged as a dazzling prospect in Monaco, where he shined when the club won the title in 2016/17.His probable relocation abroad implies that he may not be able to return to the Stade Louis II anytime soon.
