Zlatan Ibrahimovic has accused Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe of trying to be bigger than the club as details of his contract were leaked.
Mbappe signed a new three-year deal at the Parc des Princes this year. Recent reports have claimed that he wants to leave the club in January, as his future was once again thrust into the limelight this month.
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One of the major aspects around his new deals were the reports that Mbappe would hold great sway in the club’s sporting decisions as part of his new contract.
This would include giving the Frenchman a say on which players should be signed alongside decisions on managers and also sporting directors.
Indeed, the arrival of Luis Campos in a sports advisor role are reported to have been supported by Mbappe, who holds a close relationship with him after their time together at Monaco.
The player’s increased influence in the team preceded his falling out with Neymar over the order of penalty takers in a Ligue 1 game as the poor relationship between the two came to light.
Former Real Madrid skipper Sergio Ramos was reportedly forced to step in to separate the pair in the dressing room after that incident.
PSG manager Christophe Galtier moved to tackle the issue head-on by staging a first-team meeting in which both players were rebuked and apologised, while Messi acted as a mediator to help quell the discontent.
The fallout did not stop there, as Neymar went on to ‘like’ two social media posts that slammed Mbappe over the episode, including a post that said the French star “controlled” the club. Those suggestions appeared to have been echoed by Ibrahimovic.
Ibrahimovic told Canal Sport: “Mbappe has put himself in a situation where he is more important than the club. But you should never be bigger than a club because you are not.”
Ibrahimovic has also claimed that Ligue 1 has become weaker since he left: “Since I left France, everything is going down. You have nothing to talk about anymore. France needs me. I don’t need France. Even if you have Mbappe, Neymar and Messi, it doesn’t help you. Why? Because you don’t have God.”
Ibrahimovic suffered anterior cruciate ligament injury this year but continued to play until the end of the campaign to help Milan win their first Serie A title in 11 years.
He underwent surgery in May and is expected to be out until the beginning of 2023 – potentially his last season in football.
