Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappé has moved to defend former teammate Lionel Messi.
Prior to calling time on his time in Europe this past summer, frontman Messi, of course, enjoyed two successive years on the books of French heavyweights PSG.
The Argentine was regularly singled out for criticism during his time in Paris, though, accused of too often looking disinterested, after essentially being forced into an unwanted departure from Barcelona.
And yet, Messi’s numbers continued to speak for themselves, with his final season in PSG colours having seen the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner notch a hefty 20 goals and 20 assists between league and Champions League play.
Such production, though, did not prove enough to sway the fanbase of France’s biggest club, who showed absolutely no mercy in taking firm aim at Messi across his final months with the club.
One current member of the reigning Ligue 1 champions’ squad who evidently feels that as much was altogether undeserved, however, comes in the form of Kylian Mbappé.
Hitman Mbappé proved a regular beneficiary of Messi’s creative brilliance throughout the pair’s shared time together at the Parc des Princes, with the two attackers having seemingly struck up a strong friendship off the pitch, too.
Speaking during an interview with Amazon Prime Sport (as cited by ESPN) earlier today, the French international was in turn keen to launch a stern defence of his ex-teammate:
“For a forward like me, you love running into space, with him [in your team] you are certain you can get the ball. It’s a luxury that only he can give you. Overall, playing with him, it has been special. Messi deserves all the respect and actually in France, he didn’t receive the respect he deserved.”
Conor Laird | GSFN
