Almost four months later, Kylian Mbappé will return to the Parc des Princes pitch. This time he will have the Bleus jersey on his shoulders, Friday, September 6 for France-Italy in the Nations League. But the landmarks will still be there, in his garden, which he frequented during his six seasons at Paris Saint-Germain and where he became the club’s top scorer in history. “It’s special. I spent many years here, I have a lot of memories,” he commented at a press conference on the eve of the meeting.
This Parc adored him, but his free departure for Real Madrid, his attitude on and off the pitch, his procrastination, have tarnished his never really fluid relationship with the fans. How will he be received in the Parisian enclosure, where many Paris supporters will be present? “I don’t expect much, I don’t care. The important thing is to win,” the interested party has already anticipated.
“As a PSG supporter, it’s going to be a bit weird because he doesn’t play in our colours,” explains François, a PSG and Les Bleus fan and member of the Irrésistibles Français group. “And we know that this is one of his last visits here. But I’m not sure that it will do much to people.”
It’s true, the Blues’ public is not that of the capital club. More family-oriented, less supporter. “We’re not here to boo players who aren’t from PSG,” adds François. “We’re here to support the French team. There might be a few whistles, but I still think he’ll get a good reception. I won’t boo, that’s out of the question, he’s a player from Les Bleus and we support them.”
“We will forgive him even less.”
The captain of the French team has, for a few weeks, begun his adventure in Madrid. Given PSG’s offensive performances, not many people are mourning his departure, for the moment.
“It doesn’t do much for me, I expect more from him as Mbappé the captain who is coming off a rather failed Euro, explains Othmane, wearing a PSG jersey and a member of the Baroudeurs du Sport, who follows the Blues. I don’t have any particular expectations for the PSG player… He will be cheered like any other player, he won’t be particularly booed. It’s not the same crowd. But he will also have to prove himself in the French team and I think he will be forgiven for even less.”
Because his performances this summer in Germany have indeed raised some questions: is he in his place as number 9? Is he trying hard enough? Author of only one goal on a penalty – admittedly with a broken nose – he is one of the many players who have disappointed.
“We’ve seen for a long time that he has some difficulties at number 9 but at Real he can’t put himself above the club. He’s next to players who are currently better than him, he has to put himself at the service of the team,” added Othmane, who will not whistle his former player at the start of the match. “Even at PSG at the end, he wasn’t whistled. I think he can be whistled if he has a bad match and it will be very objective. We have always differentiated the PSG player from the one in Blue. At PSG it’s never easy, I hope he loved the club even if personally I have doubts. But we’re starting from scratch, we’re going to judge him on his performances.”
“Kylian will be warmly applauded,” thinks another supporter who is a member of a group of followers. Especially if he keeps up his efficiency at the Parc des Princes.
- RMC Sport
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