Words of Christophe Dugarry, former World and European champion for France.
After having an uninspired performance in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, going unnoticed in PSG's home defeat to Barcelona (2-3), Kylian Mbappé is under more pressure than ever to make up for that 'blackout' tonight (8:00 PM), on Spanish soil.
This is asserted by Christophe Dugarry, former World and European champion for France, who reflected on the topic on the podcast 'Rothen s'enflamme', hosted by Jérôme Rothen, former PSG player.
'I think this game will determine whether his stint at PSG will be a complete success or a partial failure. If we see the same type of game that he played in the first leg, with a deplorable attitude in terms of lack of willingness, running volume, effort, sometimes not concerned with what is happening around him, many poor choices in the game... It was a game where nothing worked,' he began critically.
'In football, it is allowed to be bad, it's part of the game, and even great players have been terrible at times. Can he make up for it? I'm sure Mbappé can and has already shown that he can, which is why his current period of mediocrity is so oddly long. I have never seen Mbappé perform so poorly for such a long time. And, above all, with an attitude that, in many games, seems the same,' he continued, reminding that the French forward, who was a Champions League runner-up in 2020 and semi-finalist in 2021, still has that goal to achieve in Paris.
"If Kylian Mbappé is eliminated with PSG, playing the same type of game as he did in the first leg, I think many Parisians will tell him: 'Bon voyage.' In other words, there will be fewer regrets about his departure. Many will say that Mbappé's statistics are good and that his time here was excellent, but there will be a 'but.' There will be something that will make a good number of Parisian fans and people associated with the club feel resentful towards him for the first time. Afterwards, they will have appreciated his games, his goals, and what he brought to PSG. But there will be something that makes it seem like it's not yet finished. It will be a love story that lacks something at the end. Some will see this as a form of betrayal if Kylian doesn't give everything he has in his stomach and feet in this game. I'll go further: this could be the most important game of his career at PSG," he concluded.
Mbappé, 25 years old, has scored 39 goals and provided nine assists in 41 games played and is touted as a guaranteed signing by Real Madrid, at no cost, next season.
