Nasser Al-Khelaïfi believes Mbappé «deserves the Ballon d’Or»
Paris Saint-Germain’s President, Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, expressed to various media outlets that PSG’s French forward, Kylian Mbappé, «deserves the Ballon d’Or», and emphasized that «the issues we’ve had remain within the family». Despite a turbulent summer between the club and Mbappé due to his contract extension refusal, Al-Khelaïfi confirmed that Mbappé is still considered part of the PSG family. Mbappé, who has yet to extend his contract ending in 2024, missed most of the preseason under new coach Luis Enrique.
Al-Khelaïfi stated his pride in Mbappé’s performance and the team’s overall achievements, declaring Mbappé as the world’s best player in his view, citing his impressive eight goals in five matches this season.
Regarding Lionel Messi’s critical comments after leaving PSG for Inter Miami, Al-Khelaïfi responded by acknowledging that they celebrated Messi both publicly and privately but stressed the need for respect, considering PSG is a French club.
He acknowledged the sensitivity of celebrating Messi at the stadium and the importance of respecting the country he defeated, his French national team teammates, and PSG supporters.
Despite this, he highlighted their pride in having had Messi at the club.
In a separate interview, Messi expressed disappointment in not feeling recognized at PSG, given his status as a World Cup champion with Argentina, but he also emphasized that things happen for a reason.
