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Journalist
Graduated from Journalism School in Paris. Specializing in football, and more particularly on the transfer window. Fan of PSG and Stade Français.
While Leonardo was very critical of the contract extension of Kylian Mbappé at PSG in 2022 and the overall management of the French striker over his last years at the Parc des Princes, Jérôme Rothen reacts to these comments. And the former PSG player confirms a very complicated relationship between the two men during their collaboration…
In an interview given to Figaro at the start of the week, Leonardo tackled him PSG on his case management Mbappé and its extension in 2022: “ I was against it, at the level that was done. Always. From the start (…) How is it manageable afterwards? If you lose a player, it's annoying, but the club is not going to die. What great institution collapsed by losing a player? None », Confided the former sports director of PSG, who therefore openly criticizes the Parisian institution.
Rothen charge Leonardo
At the microphone of RMC Sport, Jerome Rothen reacted to these comments from Leonardo and criticizes the Brazilian leader: “ Excuse me, when Leonardo said that he wanted to uphold the institution, do you have the impression that during Leonardo's second stint the players respected the PSG institution and did not feel above it? They felt above it and mistakes in management were made because he should have pulled the ears of some in the dressing room but he didn't dare because the fact that the club had invested a lot in this or that player , that did not give him this responsibility and above all he wanted to go in their direction “, estimated Rothenwhich then confirms very tense relations between Mbappé et Leonardo au PSG.
“It was going very badly”
« When you are sporting director of a club like Paris Saint-Germain and you come back with the image you have, you must ensure that with the best players in the squad who are the showcases of the team , and Kylian Mbappé was one of them, you must at least have healthy relationships with these people. Like with Neymar at the time, like with Verratti. And as luck would have it, things were going very badly with Mbappé. I'm not saying it was easy, but the 'enforcing the institution' aspect is false. When he was there, he had players above the institution », continues Rothen.
