“They Were Very Performing, but…” Ex-PSG Manager Shares Insights on Managing Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Neymar

Paris Saint-Germain may have been the most underperforming team in Europe, but it was fortunate. Over the years, the club managed to acquire some of the best stars in the world, including Ronaldinho and David Beckham, to raise the standards and pedigree of the soccer club. Even though he stayed for just a year, former coach Christophe Galtier managed a dream team with Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Neymar last season. And the Frenchman now offers a candid look at the experience of training the legends.

PSG could have a slightly better spell under Galtier, but the manager still thought his team had done well with available resources. In a recent interview with L’equipe, Galter said, “The three of them (Messi, Mbappé, Neymar) were supposed to team up and play together. I don’t think we’ll ever see that again in France. They performed very well, both in terms of play and investment, but we lost Neymar (in February). Everyone’s forgotten that too.” The three together had a serious burden to win multiple trophies for PSG.

Meanwhile, they were nothing less than explosive under Galtier. Scoring 80 goals together with more than 45 assists, the trio won two trophies. However, the run was not as smooth as expected for Galtier.

The manager had to deal with tactical and personal issues within the team. Once Lionel Messi arrived, some concerns surfaced regarding the relationship between the stars. There were talks of Kylian Mbappe demanding more prominence than the other two South American stars. Additionally, Neymar suffered repeated injuries and was left out for the entirety of the last quarter of the season due to his ankle ligament issue.

Subsequently, PSG’s attacking chances took a huge dip, especially in their aim to win the UEFA Champions League. Without Neymar, Paris Saint-Germain fell to Bayern Munich in the second leg, failing to score a single goal. Nevertheless, Galtier appreciated the players for being easy to manage.

Christophe Galtier applauds Lionel Messi and the two stars for their attitude

Despite the little struggles, the Al Duhail coach felt that the players were professional in their approach. Speaking further, Galtier stated, “They are normal people, simple, accessible, professional and open to discussion,” citing their constant availability for the team. Meanwhile, the respect between the players, especially Lionel Messi and Mbappe, remained even after they left the club, with both of them appreciating each other.

Overall, it was a successful spell for Galtier at PSG in terms of performance. The club won the League Un and Trophée des Champions, maintaining its reputation as the best in France. But more importantly, there wasn’t a bigger joy in seeing the best in the world together on the pitch playing with each other.