Al Khelaifi believes that Mbappe “deserves to win the Ballon d’Or”

Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the president of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) football club, has expressed his belief that French striker Kylian Mbappé "deserves the Ballon d'Or" award, adding that the issues between the club and Mbappé "remain within the family."

After a summer filled with events between the club and Mbappé, Al-Khelaifi clarified, "The issues we are facing are still within the family, and Kylian is a part of the family."

Following his exclusion from the first team for the new season due to his refusal to extend his contract, which expires on June 30, 2024, the 2018 World Cup champion was absent from his club's preparations during the summer with the new Parisian coach, Luis Enrique.

So far, the two parties have not reached an agreement on renewing the contract.

Al-Khelaifi added after the French star scored eight goals in five games this season, "I am proud of what he is doing, and what the entire team is doing. We have the best player in the world, and for me, he deserves the Ballon d'Or."

In contrast, Nasser Al-Khelaifi responded to Argentine star Lionel Messi, who left for Inter Miami in the United States at the end of the season and criticized Paris Saint-Germain strongly recently, especially as he feels "unacknowledged" there as a World Cup champion when he led his Argentine national team to victory over France in the Qatar World Cup final.

Regarding this, Al-Khelaifi said, "There has been a lot of talk outside (the club), I don't know what he did or didn't say. As everyone saw, we published a video and celebrated Messi in training, and we celebrated him separately."

He further explained, "We did this with respect because we are, in the end, a French club. Celebrating him at the stadium was a sensitive matter, of course. We must respect the country he defeated and his teammates in the French national team, as well as our fans. But he (Messi) was and still is a fantastic player. We were proud to have him here."

In an interview that aired on Thursday on the Olga channel on YouTube, Messi said, "This was not what I had hoped for, but I always say that things happen for a reason. The truth is, I was the only player among the 25 others (Argentinian World Cup champions) who did not receive acknowledgment, but it doesn't matter."



AFP