We’ve all experienced a bit of work-based conflict. It’s a rite of passage. We can’t stand the sight of each other here at Planet Football and, no matter what we tell ourselves, we’re not quite as high-profile as Kylian Mbappe.
Mbappe has lived a life none of us could even imagine. Constant public attention from an awfully young age, everything he does and says scrutinised, criticised, or idolised by thousands if not millions of onlookers.
With an origin story like Mbappe’s, you’re inevitably going to experience more than your fair share of office (or training ground) bust-ups. Here, we’re looking at some of Mbappe’s most high-profile fallouts with his colleagues.
Olivier Giroud
Back in 2020, France’s all-time top-scoring handsome bastard was not too pleased with Kylian. Giroud reckoned Mbappe was choosing not to pass to him. We get it. Sort of thing that might cause a frosty atmosphere at the pub after a gruelling 7-a-side defeat.
This is what Mbappe had to say on the matter.
“I spoke with Olivier Giroud. Everyone knows what happened. It is true that I was a little affected by it. It’s more that he said it publicly than the fact that he said it. I saw him in the dressing room and he didn’t say anything to me. He expressed a feeling that I have had 365 times during a match.”
That’s a very specific number of times to feel something during a 90-minute game. Anyway, they’re pals, now, so that’s nice, isn’t it?
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TRY A QUIZ: Can you name every team Kylian Mbappe has scored 5+ goals against?
Leonardo Jardim / Andrea Raggi
Back in 2017, when Mbappe was just 18, he was dropped from the Monaco squad following an argument with teammate Andrea Raggi. The then Monaco manager Leonardo Jardim played it down as a storm in a teacup, but word on the street is that Mbappe refused to leave the training pitch when he was ordered to, and the first team were forced to train on a different pitch.
The entire PSG first team
In the summer of 2023, after announcing his intention to leave Paris at the end of his contract, Mbappe was dropped to the PSG reserves. After a training sessions, the Frenchman was signing autographs for fans when he allegedly joked that PSG’s reserve team now had more talent in it than the first team.
Burn.
Neymar, Messi, Vitinha, and the entire world
When Mbappe was eventually integrated back into the PSG side following the announcement of his intention to run down his contract, things went about as swimmingly as you’d expect.
The Parisians were playing Montpellier, and Kylian had already taken a penalty and failed to score from the spot. PSG were then awarded another penalty, and Neymar insisted on taking it instead of Mbappe.
Mbappe barged past Leo Messi to try and get to the ball, but the Brazilian too the pen and scored. Kylian did not celebrate with the team.
Midfielder Vitinha then dared not to pass to the Frenchman, instead choosing to pass to Leo Messi (imagine looking up and having the option of passing to Messi or Mbappe), and Mbappe threw up his arms in frustration. Sometimes you just want to watch the world burn.
TRY A QUIZ: Can you name every club Kylian Mbappe has scored against in the Champions League?
The entire PSG first team, again, but mainly Luis Enrique
A few months back, Luis Enrique chose to sub Mbappe at halftime in what turned out to be a 0-0 draw with Monaco. Kylian didn’t like that. He didn’t like it at all.
Instead of sitting on the bench with the other subs after halftime, the Frenchman came out of the tunnel on his phone, took a few selfies with fans, then went and sat with his mum in the stands.
Listen, sometimes you just need your mum. Probably not the time for it, though.
Pivot Gang
During Christophe Galtier’s reign in Paris, Mbappe signed a £650,000-a-week contract renewal, according to reports. Despite this, Kylian wasn’t best pleased with the specific type of forward Galtier was asking him to be.
Mbappe posted an Instagram story with the caption #pivotgang.
There’s a bit of semantics in here. Pivot, in this context refers to a centre-forward used to link up the play and bring others into play — kind of like Olivier Giroud, actually.
That Insta story was meant sarcastically, and he deleted it shortly afterwards. Salty.
Thomas Tuchel
During the Thomas Tuchel era in Paris, the German chose to take Mbappe off with his team 5-0 to Montpellier.
Kylian didn’t like that. Doesn’t like being substituted. He walked straight past his manager, ignoring his attempts to justify the decision.
Angel Di Maria reckoned he was being a bit of a baby.
“It is very difficult, nobody wanted to go off, everyone wants to play, that’s normal. Kylian wants to score, but the manager decided that he was to come off, there are boys on the bench who want to come on and have the ability, he needs to get that.”
Show us the lie.
