Former PSG star criticises Mbappe: “He made himself bigger than the club”

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By Martin Graham | 5th Nov 2022

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has hit out at Kylian Mbappe’s choice to remain with Paris Saint-Germain instead of moving to Real Madrid at the end of last season.

Four months after the 2018 World Cup winner’s decision to remain at Parc De Princes, the backlash has not stopped coming. Attacks from LaLiga’s president Javier Tebas over the enormity of the deal has been front and centre of everything, but the media scrutiny into the decision is still going strong.

The man who Mbappe beat to become the club’s second highest goalscorer of all time, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, has now weighed in with his own strong opinions on the issue. The legendary Swede claims that the move was influenced by his family who made him feel like he was bigger than the club. Ibrahimovic also opined that the move benefits PSG more than it does the young forward.

“I don’t know Mbappe very well as a person,” the AC Milan man told Canal+. “As a player he is fantastic, but when you lose discipline, you lose identity.

“He made the right choice for PSG, not for himself, because he got himself into a situation where he is more important than the club. The truth is that PSG gave him the keys to it. No player is bigger than the club, but when the child is given opportunities to grow, he makes money easily.

“His parents are his agents, lawyers, coaches… And that’s the problem, mom and dad think they’ve become stars, they say in the newspapers and magazines. But who do you think you are? Shut up. It’s up to your son, the player, to work and have discipline.”

Reports from October claim that Mbappe is not happy with the club as they have broken a number of the promises in his new contract already. Rumours began of his desire to leave the club in January also, but the 2018 Kopa Trophy winner has come out to deny those rumours.

“I’m very happy. I never asked for my departure in January,” Mbappe told RMC Sport when he was quizzed on the reports. I was just as shocked as everyone else. There are people who may think I’m involved in this, but I’m not involved, I was taking a nap.

“My entourage was at my little brother’s game, all the people who take care of me weren’t there so we were flabbergasted when we heard about it.

“Afterwards, we had to deal with it, there was a game to play. Just to say that it is completely wrong and I am very happy.”