Kylian Mbappé has accomplished a lot in his short time as a professional footballer.
In 2017, as an 18-year-old, he helped AS Monaco reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League, which led to Paris Saint-Germain paying a premium price for him that summer. Then a year later, Mbappé started for the France national team that would win the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Mbappé’s star has risen without much criticism over the last three years from football pundits, the media, and fans of the game; however, this season is different. Throughout the 2019-20 season, we’ve seen a different side to the France international.
The 21-year-old wasn’t shy in displaying his frustration with PSG manager Thomas Tuchel after being subbed off the pitch. It’s led to reported meetings between Tuchel, Mbappé, and the capital club’s sporting director, Leonardo. This type of behavior has led to more criticism of the young Frenchman.
RMC Sport consultant Emmanuel Petit, who was part of the France national teams that won the 1998 World Cup and the UEFA European Championship in 2000, had some harsh criticism for Mbappé after speaking with Goal. Petit went as far as to say that the PSG forward is beginning to annoy him more and more.
“Despite everything, he tends to annoy me more and more. He forces too much. He wants to force the decision every time. He is annoying with his own partners,” Petit said. “We forget that he is young. He has already proven great things, but we always ask for more.”
Furthermore, the former French midfielder went on to explain where this newfound behavior for Mbappé is coming from, which of course, falls on the hands of his teammate, Neymar Jr.
“What he does is unbelievable; he has a bright future ahead of him. But putting pressure on himself because he wants to win a Ballon d’Or,” Petit said. “It’s annoying. He has to be careful with his behavior. Too much ‘Neymar-iser’, it might backfire.”
This type of criticism is new territory for Mbappé, so it will be interesting to see if this will be a trend going forward or a blimp on his career.
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