Kylian Mbappé was once again crucial for Paris Saint-Germain with two goals on Sunday, but after the won away game against Stade Brest (2-3), the main focus was on the obscene gesture that the French star forward made towards the audience.
Mbappé showed his discontent towards the Brest fans when he was substituted in extra time. Just moments before, the 24-year-old PSG captain had decided the game by scoring a penalty on the rebound past Marco Bizot. According to French media, the Ligue 1’s top scorer was irritated by what was being shouted at his good friend Achraf Hakimi. The Moroccan right-back was called a rapist.
Mbappé also received a yellow card for the gesture and was criticized by French journalist Bertrand Latour on X, who stated that the captain of the French national team should not have allowed himself to react in such a way. Mbappé did not let this slide and responded, 'Yeah, of course I should have sung along with them when they were insulting my teammate. Some people really have never set foot on a football field, regardless of the level...'
Brest coach Éric Roy was surprised by Mbappé's reaction. 'I won't name names, but I found the behavior of some PSG players ridiculous. You've won the match, there's no need for that. When you play an away game, you have to deal with it. The atmosphere in our stadium is fine; in other stadiums, it could have been much worse. I think his reaction is ridiculous; he should be above that.'
Brest player Hugo Magnetti thought Mbappé's gesture showed a lack of class. 'These are little things that irritate you, but they won’t kill you. He shouldn’t have done that. Hopefully, they also have the guts to do this when they play against Real Madrid or Bayern Munich.' PSG coach Luis Enrique hopes it doesn’t happen again. 'I don’t like this; it’s better to focus on positive things.'
Updated: 11:35, 30 Oct 2023
