REPORTS! “Tensions flare in the Paris Saint-Germain camp as internal strife causes Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe to take to groupism”

Paris Saint-Germain is not having the best of seasons this year although the French team are top Ligue 1. A few defeats and narrow wins have affected the squad morale and has questioned their manager, Mauricio Pochettino’s tactics and winning mentality.

Paris Saint-Germain signed some of the best football players in the summer with the incomings of Lionel Messi, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Sergio Ramos. With the likes of Neymar Jr, Kylian Mbappe and Angel Di Maria already in the team, the French champions look nothing short of all-star team of a video game.

However, with so many big names in the team, there is always going to be a problem in maintaining squad morale and their individual egos. In this case, Mauricio Pochettino has certainly found it hard to maintain the team unity and there are reports of groupism in the squad due to ego clashes.

Summer Signings:

Paris Saint-Germain signed some of the biggest names in world football in the summer with the likes of Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos and Gianluigi Donnarumma coming in. Fans thought it was going to be an easy ride with so many stars in the team but it has been the complete opposite of it.

Keylor Navas and Gianluigi Donnarumma:

Keylor Navas was signed from Real Madrid to be the number 1 goalkeeper in the PSG team and the Costa Rican international signed a contract extension in the summer just a few weeks before PSG went on to sign Gianluigi Donnarumma to be their main goalkeeper.

This decision was confusing for the fans as well as the players as it left Navas and Donnarumma fighting for 1 spot in the team. In the beginning of the season, Donnarumma was not getting any chances to play but now both the keepers have been said to sign a pact where both the players will be rotated every 3 games.

Donnarumma is in the form of his life after winning the Euros in the summer but lack of game time has got him to question the manager’s strategy publicly.

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Kylian Mbappe’s contract situation:

Kylian Mbappe has been at Paris Saint-Germain since 2017 after signing from AS Monaco for a huge fee. The 23 year old has been an important member of the team ever since then and has massively improved in his game over time.

Due to his brilliant performances in the PSG shirt in the biggest of stages, mant big teams are trying to sign the youngster. The French international has always been public about his dream to play for Real Madrid and now with his current PSG contract expiring in the summer of 2022, that is most likely to happen.

The lack of positive results and due to many star players in the dressing room of PSG, Mbappe is not convinced that he can be the main man in the team and has questioned the lack of stability in the dressing room.

PSG has been trying to convince the 23 year old to sign a contract extension but as of now, it doesn’t look likely Mbappe will sign one. His teammates celebrated his birthday a few days back by giving the French international a PSG shirt as a gift with the number 2050 on the back indicating that he should sign a contract extension with the French club.

Mauro Icardi’s personal problems:

Mauro Icardi was signed by Paris Saint-Germain last year from Inter Milan. The Argentinian striker has not had a successful time at the club ever since joining and his personal life outside football has made a lot impact in the performances on the pitch.

After reports emerged in October that Mauro Icardi’s wife Wanda Icardi was filing a divorce from the striker, the Argentinian asked PSG to grant him a few days off when the French club had a busy fixture list and had matches every three days.

PSG had to grant him the leave as he wasn’t concentrated enough on football and was more interested in the fallout with his wife and his football agent, Wanda Icardi. This caused some unrest in the squad and the players were left baffled with some even questioning how the club was handling this situation.

The Argentinian international did not return to training for a few days and was said to be trying to convince his wife to not file for divorce through social media posts and messages. This situation left PSG in a very tight spot and the club were questioned on how poorly this situation was handled.

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Lionel Messi’s Ballon D’or after-party:

Lionel Messi won a record 8th Ballon D’or earlier this month and the whole football community congratulated the 34 year old for his special season with his former club FC Barcelona and his international team Argentina.

However, there were rumours that certain players from the PSG camp thought a few players were getting special treatment due to their high status. This came after Messi won his 8th Ballon D’or and booked a club for an after party with his teammates.

There were reports that 2 South American players reported for training visibly tired after spending the previous night at the after party. Lionel Messi himself did not turn up for training the next day after he reported of having gastroenteritis symptoms. This raised doubts amongst a few members of the squad as to why players were allowed to take leaves and go out as and when required with important games to be played.

Neymar’s attitude:

Neymar Jr’s attitude has always been in question ever since the Brazilian has joined Paris Saint-Germain. The 28 year old has missed many important matches for the French club since his arrival due to personal matters and it has not got him in the good books of the current manager, Mauricio Pochettino.

Neymar has been missing some important UEFA Champions League games since the last few seasons just so that he could attend his sister’s birthday parties. His attitude has always been a problem and has affected the squad a lot.

In the most recent case, Neymar didn’t attend a mandatory signing ceremony with the club’s sponsors and this angered the PSG management and there were reports that heavy sanctions were implied to keep the Brazilian’s behaviour and attitude in check.