POISSY, France: Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique insists he has a “perfect” relationship with Kylian Mbappe, despite the France star forward’s attitude during recent games raising questions about his happiness at the club.
Mbappe appeared frustrated during last week’s 1-1 Champions League draw with Borussia Dortmund in Germany, disappointed with his teammates for settling for a point when a win would have seen them finish top of their group.
He again looked less than happy at times during Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Lille in Ligue 1, a match in which he played through the middle of the attack, away from his usual preferred role on the left flank.
“As always, a perfect relationship,” Luis Enrique said when asked how he got on with Mbappe at a press conference on Tuesday, on the eve of PSG’s final match of the year at home to Metz.
“We are not a couple but that is mainly because he doesn’t want us to be,” the Spaniard joked.
“I don’t know why I keep getting asked this question. I am very close to most of my players.”
“Kylian is always making jokes and laughing,” he added.
Mbappe, who is out of contract at the end of this season, will celebrate his 25th birthday on Wednesday.
“Twenty-five is so young. I hope he continues to have more success at PSG and that we are able to help him,” Luis Enrique said.
“He is fantastic. We are lucky to have him,” he added of a player who has scored 19 goals in all competitions this season.
PSG coach Luis Enrique claims ‘perfect’ relationship with Mbappe
https://arab.news/nsbh3
PSG coach Luis Enrique claims ‘perfect’ relationship with Mbappe
- Mbappe appeared frustrated during last week’s 1-1 Champions League draw with Borussia Dortmund
- “Twenty-five is so young. I hope he continues to have more success at PSG and that we are able to help him,” Luis Enrique said
Spain will host 2030 World Cup final, says RFEF president
- Louzan did not say whether the match would be played at Santiago Bernabeu or Camp Nou
- Once completed in late 2028, the new stadium in Morocco is expected to hold 115,000 spectators
MADRID: Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) President Rafael Louzan has said that Spain will stage the final of the 2030 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
Morocco wants to stage the game in Casablanca at the Grand Stade Hassan II, a huge stadium currently under construction north of the city.
“Spain has proven its organizational capacity over many years. It will be the leader of the 2030 World Cup and the final of that World Cup will be held here,” Louzan said late on Monday at an event organized by the Madrid Sports Press Association.
Louzan did not say whether the match would be played at Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu or Barcelona’s Camp Nou, the two leading candidates.
Once completed in late 2028, the new stadium in Morocco is expected to hold 115,000 spectators. Morocco’s Royal Football Federation (FRMF) President Faouzi Lekjaa last year expressed his wish to see a final against Spain in Casablanca.
Louzan also alluded to the challenges Morocco faced during its hosting of the last Africa Cup of Nations, including the chaotic scenes during the final between Senegal and Morocco this month.
That match, which Senegal won 1-0, was overshadowed by fan disruptions and player protests that temporarily halted play.
“Morocco is really undergoing a transformation in every sense, with magnificent stadiums,” Louzan said. “We must recognize what has been done well. But in the Africa Cup of Nations, we have seen scenes that damage the image of world football.”
FIFA and the Portuguese and Moroccan football federations have not responded to requests for comment on the final’s location.
FIFA told Reuters last year it was premature to decide the venue for the 2030 final, saying the host city for the 2026 World Cup final was revealed only two years before the tournament. World soccer’s ruling body has the final say on where the match will be played.
