Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappé has said he misses playing alongside former teammate Lionel Messi.
Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi played two seasons with Mbappe at PSG before joining Inter Miami as a free agent in July 2023.
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During their time together, Mbappé and Messi won two league titles and one Coupe de France — although Messi and teammate Neymar were booed in their final months at the club after suffering successive Champions League exits in the round of 16.
“You always miss playing with Leo Messi,” Mbappé told Amazon Prime Sport. “For a forward like me, you love running into space, with him [in your team] you are certain you can get the ball. It’s a luxury that only he can give you. Overall, playing with him, it has been special. Messi deserves all the respect and actually in France, he didn’t receive the respect he deserved.”
Mbappé, who scored on Wednesday to help PSG clinch the French Champions Trophy, said after the game he has yet to make a decision regarding his future.
The French World Cup winner is a long-time target of Real Madrid and his contract at PSG expires this summer.
“I haven’t made my decision yet,” Mbappé told reporters. “I haven’t made a choice.
“But like I have said, most important are the titles. We have won one already and we are determined to win more.”
Mbappé, 25, was close to joining Madrid in the summer of 2022 before announcing a U-turn and staying at the Parc des Princes.
Mbappé, who signed from Monaco in 2017 and is PSG’s all-time top scorer, has won five Ligue 1 titles with the club. PSG top Ligue 1 by five points and will face Real Sociedad in the Champions League round of 16.