French star Kylian Mbappe has been told to tone down his ego by a rival coach after the striker goaded Metz goalkeeper Alexandre Oukidja as Paris Saint-Germain snatched a late winner in their Ligue 1 clash.
PSG left it late at the Stade Municipal Saint-Symphorien on Wednesday night but maintained their 100% start to the Ligue 1 season thanks to a 95th-minute winner from Achraf Hakimi.
The goal was the summer signing’s second of the game, after he had given the visitors the lead in the fifth minute only for that to be cancelled out by Metz defender Boubakar Kouyate not long before half-time.
Metz saw Dylan Bronn sent off in injury time when he earned a second yellow card for timewasting, while manager Frederic Antonetti was also dismissed for protesting the decision.
Then came Hakimi’s late winner, which sparked more angry scenes when Mbappe approached Metz stopper Oukidja and appeared to taunt him before joining his teammates to celebrate.
Oukidja quickly scrambled to his feet to chase after the 22-year-old but was confronted by Neymar, who shoved him to the ground and later earned a yellow card.
Some fans were quick to pick up on Mbappe’s position behind his teammates as they formed a defensive wall around him, protecting the man who had initiated the ruckus.
“Yeah big brother, that’s the one who hit me,” one fan joked in French, sharing an image of a smiling Mbappe behind Neymar.
The scenes led to Metz coach Antonetti telling Mbappe that he needed to learn some humility.
“Kylian Mbappe needs to behave better if he wants to be loved,” the Metz boss was quoted as saying.
“I love this player, he is very, very strong but he’d benefit from having a more humble side.”
Antonetti added that Mbappe had been “non-existent” during the game itself.
Also on rt.com Pochettino claims Messi told him he was ‘OK’ after being subbed – but the cracks are already showing in PSG’s vanity projectThe Metz coach isn’t the first person to accuse World Cup wonderboy Mbappe of getting ahead of himself.
As France flopped at Euro 2020 in the summer – with Mbappe missing the decisive penalty in the shootout defeat to Switzerland – former Monaco and PSG star Jerome Rothen said the star had an “oversized ego.”
Elsewhere, French World Cup winner Emmanuel Petit claimed that Mbappe had become ‘Neymarised’ and was trying too hard to emulate the showboating Brazilian on the pitch.
The late drama on Wednesday night meant that Mauricio’s Pochettino’s team made it seven wins from seven league games this season – despite the absence on Wednesday night of the injured Lionel Messi.