1998 World Cup winner Christophe Dugarry has told compatriot Kylian Mbappe to “stop all of the ego” following his complaints about seemingly being the face of Paris Saint-Germain.
The 24-year-old Frenchman responded to a 2022/23 season ticket promotional video uploaded by the club, which saw him featured prominently and could in turn be construed as the Parisians being a one-man team or “Kylian Saint-Germain” in his own words.
It has since been taken down after Mbappe posted a critical response on Instagram.
“I just took part in the viewing of the club’s re-subscription campaign for the 23-24 season. At no time was I informed of the content of the interview. It looked like a basic interview during a club marketing day. I don’t agree with this published video. That’s why I’m fighting for the right to the individual image. PSG is a big club and a big family but it is especially not Kylian Saint-Germain,” he said.
Despite agreeing to remain at the reigning French champions until 2025 there’s continual talk of a departure even as early as this summer. His response has only intensified those rumours of disgruntlement which has led to Dugarry’s intervention. The former Milan and Barcelona forward, who one-time spent a season at Birmingham City, feels Mbappe’s decision to air his grievances publicly was a misstep.
“The club should have warned him, okay, but do you think a message on social networks is worth it? You can call your board and solve it internally. I don’t even understand his message. Stop it! Stop all of the ego! They lose games one after the other! Let them play. On the field, let them show their worth. They have crazy salaries,” he told RMC Sport.
“He could have called his president instead of sending a message on networks that will go around the world. It’s clumsy, not elegant. He doesn’t need to do all this drama because he hasn’t given his approval for an ad. Who cares! He wants to take care of everything! Marketing, communication, he chooses the sporting director, he chooses the players he wants to play with. Stop! Play ball!”
⚽️?@KMbappe est le premier joueur de l'histoire du @PSG_inside à inscrire 5️⃣ buts lors d'un match officiel ! ?? pic.twitter.com/7LFt6FyzzB
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) January 23, 2023
Despite what Dugarry calls needles off-field drama, Mbappe has been enjoying another prolific campaign, one that’s been littered with milestone achievements. After nearly guiding France to back-to-back World Cup titles he became PSG’s all-time record goalscorer. Mbappe, who has bagged 31 goals across 34 games, in a fourth-round Coupe de France meeting with US Pays de Cassel netted five goals subsequently becoming the first PSG player to register that many during a single game.