Kylian Mbappe is in the news again after a malignant report came out in the Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, claiming that the Frenchman has exercised his duties as the unofficial sporting director of Paris Saint-Germain and asked the club to relieve 14 figures including Neymar Jr. and Mauricio Pochettino.
After being handed over a 300 million euro deal along with the power to decide which player or staff makes the final cut for PSG, Mbappe has received criticism from football pundits and fans alike, for having too much influence at the club.
Rejecting a Real Madrid offer was a bold step that has left scars on the fragile ego of Florentino Perez and the Frenchman’s decision made him unpopular and a target for Spanish media who now keep a watchful eye over every inch of his budding Parisian empire.
It was then only a matter of time that false reports or claims would come out of the Spanish media, flagging their spite and disappointment towards Mbappe turning down Real Madrid. And when one such report of Mbappe pressing the club to relieve players from the team came out, everyone lifted their fingers and called out Mbappe’s arrogance.
Mbappe calls out Sportbible
SPORTbible, a part of the LADbible group headquartered in Manchester, United Kingdom picked up the report from Mundo Deportivo and tweeted the story of Mbappe asking the club to let go of players.
But the Frenchman was quick to react. He immediately replied with a tweet calling the SPORTbible news as ‘FAKE’ and shut down all rumours that had been circulating of his abuse of power on the internet.
The World Cup winner has withstood many taunts and misdemeanours from fans across the aisle lately, but if he hadn’t intervened and called out the story as false, he would have had another group of fans, claiming his head on a pike.
After Mbappe’s response, SPORTbible was forced to delete its tweet and for reasons unknown to anyone, Mundo Deportivo still hasn’t clarified its stance on this defamatory story.
Even though the fans and the pundits agree that Mbappe has been blessed with immense power to toy with the club and its associations but without evidence, with no wrongdoing, it isn’t wise for any tabloid magazine or publisher to defame him. Clearly, despite all the rhetoric that Mbappe’s unfulfilled saga is a thing of the past, the Spanish media is still not over his betrayal.
The fabricated tales will continue and Mbappe might have to defend himself repeatedly, but if he lifts the coveted UCL trophy next season, much will be put to rest. For now, Mbappe is tending to his international duties with France and will compete in the UEFA Nations League.