After making fun of Messi, L’Equipe punished Mbappé and sparked controversy in France

Until now, Lionel Messi He was the scapegoat for all of Paris Saint-Germain’s ills. Even if it could be said that the Parisian press had a bipolar relationship with the star, going from criticism to praise, as if it lived between the amazement of having in its capital the best of all time and the obligation to impress him in his role of “objective press”. Being ill thought out we could say that the criticism of the Argentine is out of spite, after the Qatar 2023 final. Or simply to take care of his country’s star and Leo’s teammate at PSG, Kylian Mbappé.

A week ago, after Galtier’s side’s defeat against Lyon, L’Equipe published a cartoon in which Messi appeared caricatured with a series of piercings piercing his body, as if the star could not stop the ball from passing through the holes running through it.

“Messi, deified in Argentina, has returned to PSG”, was the title of the cartoon signed by Soulcié, one of the cartoonists of the French media. The busted Leo said “oops, another turnover.”

But this Monday there was something new. And the satirized was an untouchable, none other than Kylian Mbappé, the star of PSG who receives a salary of over 70 million euros a year and of the French national team.

“Mbappé controls his communication”, reads the title of the cartoon. And from the stands, fans converse as they watch a series of caricatured players, including Kylian. “Mbappé doesn’t run very fast, does he?”, reads one of the dialogues. In the small drawn field, the Frenchman is seen running behind his rivals, presumably from Nice. “Yep, it’s to show that not everything should be about him. He is a great strategist”, replies the other, pointing to the attacker’s ego.

The situation arises after Mbappé had a clash with his club’s management over including him in a campaign to attract members in which neither Messi nor Neymar were included. At first it was thought that he did it to defend his teammates, although records indicate that the player refuses to lend his image to campaigns that have nothing to do with his brands.

“I have just seen the club’s season ticket campaign for the 2023/24 season. At no time was I informed of the content of the discussion with my interlocutor. It sounded like when I did a background interview during a club marketing session. I disagree with this video posted. That’s why I fight for individual image rights. PSG is a big club and a big family, but it’s definitely not Kylian Saint-Germain,” Mbappé complained about his goals.

It is worth mentioning that, before the World Cup, the French star had refused to participate in an advertisement for Les Bleus, since the company that sponsored the national team was not one of his sponsors.

The truth is that the ploy that L’Equipe pulled on it did not please the French and this time public opinion turned against the newspaper. It’s just, they screwed up a spoiled kid, the untouchable that stopped being one for a while.

PSG lead by six points against rivals Lens this Saturday at four in the afternoon in Argentina. If he wins, he will increase his lead to 9, with seven dates to go. If he loses? The championship will open and new cartoons are expected from the Parisian newspaper. Even if this time the goal is definitely Messi again.