Former Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf praised the budding relationship between Kylian Mbappe and former Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi after Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) beat AC Ajaccio 3-0 on Friday (October 21).
The Argentina icon assisted both of Mbappe’s goals, while the Frenchman laid up an assist for Messi’s only goal on the night. The two are in red-hot form, with Messi’s tally now up to nine goals and 10 assists in 15 games across competitions this season.
Mbappe, meanwhile, is now the top Ligue 1 scorer this campaign. He has netted 14 goals and provided two assists in 15 games across competitions under manager Christophe Galtier.
Speaking after the full-time whistle, Lebouef, who won the FIFA World Cup with France in 1998, said on ESPN FC (h/t PSGTalk):
“The chemistry between them worked perfectly. They try to look for each other. Two assists and one goal for Messi, one assist and two goals for Mbappe. Perfect couple, perfect evening for both of them.”
He added that Mbappe would love to be a striker at PSG because of the service he gets, especially from Messi.
“But when you are served by one of the best players in the world, it becomes very easy and nice to be a striker at Paris Saint-Germain to score so many goals.”
Leboeuf added:
“So Mbappe is the top scorer of Ligue 1 tonight because of his two goals. He finds somebody who loves to serve him because of his runs and the intelligence when he plays.”
The Paris-based giants are now five points ahead of Lens at the top of the Ligue 1 table. Lorient, who are six points adrift of the league-leaders, have a game in hand.
PSG manager singles out Lionel Messi for praise over Kylian Mbappe
PSG’s dressing room contains three of the biggest names in world football in Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, and Neymar Jr.
Being the manager of the Parc des Princes outfit doesn’t just require being a tactical genius. It also entails that the man in charge knows how to manage several big personalities off the pitch.
Regardless of recent claims that Mbappe was unhappy at not being at the center of the club’s project, Galtier was not afraid to single out Messi for praise once again. After the full-time whistle at the Estadio Francois-Coty, he said (h/t Marca):
“People come to the stadium to see Messi. Of course they come to see PSG, Mbappe and Neymar but I think everyone agrees that he is the best player in history.”