Presnel Kimpembe has publicly spoken out after the decision was made for Kylian Mbappe to replace him as Paris Saint-Germain vice-captain.
The PSG defender, who has been sidelined due to an Achilles tendon injury, was previously second in command at the French club behind Brazil star Marquinhos.
Marco Verratti is behind Kimpembe and Marquinhos in the pecking order for the captaincy, but PSG boss Christophe Galtier has since made a surprising shake-up.
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Mbappe took on the captain’s armband in PSG’s 7-0 demolition of Pays de Cassel in their round-of-32 clash in the French Cup on Monday.
PSG skipper Marquinhos was an unused substitute and watched on as Mbappe scored an incredible five times at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis.
Speaking after the win over Pays de Cassel, Galtier confirmed that Mbappe had been elevated to the position of vice-captain since the start of the Ligue 1 season.
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“I decided that he is the second captain since the beginning of the season, he deserves to have this armband when Marquinhos is not there because he has decided to stay,” he said.
“He scored 56 goals in the calendar year. He is one of the world-class strikers, one of the best in the world.
“He’s like that. He is formatted to score goals, he did not abuse, goals came naturally after combinations.”
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Kimpembe has since taken to Instagram Stories and broke his silence over Galtier’s decision to appoint Mbappe as vice-captain.
The 27-year-old French centre-back insisted that he would “respect” the decision made, with Kimpembe firmly shutting down speculation surrounding the matter.
“In the last few hours, I have been able to hear and read a lot about myself,” he wrote.
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“I therefore wish to make things clear in order to avoid continuing to spread false information in this regard.
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“I was not made aware of this decision, this is completely false... That said, I will always respect the decisions of the club.”
Topics: Presnel Kimpembe, Kylian Mbappe, Paris Saint-Germain, France, Ligue 1, Football
Adnan Riaz