If coach Luis Enrique chooses his best player, Kylian Mbappe will play his final game for Paris Saint-Germain against his previous team, Monaco, on Friday.
After promising the Qatar-owned club he would depart at the end of this season, Mbappe has learned he is no longer guaranteed a spot in the starting lineup, which has put the France captain’s relationship with the PSG manager under scrutiny.
After seven years at the Parc des Princes, Mbappe told PSG in mid-February that he intended to leave when his contract expired in June. Real Madrid was anticipated to be his next stop.
In response, Luis Enrique benched the 25-year-old for their upcoming match against Nantes, where Mbappe later scored a penalty in a 2-0 victory.
More unexpectedly, Mbappe started last week’s home game against Rennes and wore the captain’s armband in Marquinho’s absence until being replaced after 65 minutes.
Goncalo Ramos, his replacement, won and converted a penalty kick, allowing PSG, who were behind 1-0 at the time, to rally and tie.
Mbappe, the all-time leading scorer for PSG with 244 goals, has made 292 appearances since joining from Monaco in 2017. He has hardly ever started from the bench.
Occasionally, as opposed to last weekend, he has been substituted early; nevertheless, this has only happened when PSG has already won or because of an injury.
It’s really easy. When asked why he had benched Mbappe, Luis Enrique replied, “Either way, we will have to adjust to playing without Kylian eventually.”
“I’ll play him when I want to, and the same goes for when I don’t.”
Despite drawing with Rennes, Luis Enrique’s club is 11 points ahead of second-place Brest with 11 games left, indicating that PSG is in a strong position in Ligue 1 to prepare for the future.
Given that Paris travels to Spain to face Real Sociedad in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 match on Tuesday, there might even be an incentive to rest Mbappe in Monaco.
For the French champs, making it to the quarterfinals in Europe is the bare minimum after being eliminated in the round of 16 in five of the previous seven seasons.
Mbappe, however, will want to play for Monaco, who are currently third in the table and aiming to qualify for the Champions League.
He made his spectacular debut at the principality, where he also played a key role in Monaco’s 2016–17 title victory.
He might not get the chance to visit Stade Louis II again very soon because he is moving overseas.
