PSG fans booed when Mbappe was substituted

France The Parc des Princes crowd booed coach Luis Enrique when he substituted striker Kylian Mbappe, as PSG trailed Rennes in Ligue 1.

In the 65th minute, when PSG was down 0-1, coach Enrique suddenly took captain Mbappe off the field and replaced him with striker Goncalo Ramos. The PSG captain looked surprised and disappointed, waving his captain's armband, but still high-fived the player coming on the field. The Spanish coach stood far away from the substitution area and did not interact with Mbappe.

Mbappe was disappointed when he missed a chance in PSG's 1-1 draw with Rennes. Photo: LEquipe — Mbappe was disappointed after missing a chance in PSG's 1-1 draw with Rennes. Photo: *L'Equipe*

It is rare for Mbappe to be substituted so early, and it was when PSG were behind. The last time he was substituted when his team was not leading was against Brugge in the Champions League in September 2021, but the French striker was injured. This time, Mbappe showed no signs of injury, even missed a chance a few minutes before, but was still taken off by coach Enrique.

Many spectators at the Parc des Princes stadium whistled and booed, it was unclear whether it was aimed at Mbappe or Enrique. When the match commentator read out the names of the starting players before the ball rolled, the spectators did not whistle when it came to Mbappe's name.

This was Mbappe's first game at PSG's home ground since it was reported he had signed for Real Madrid. The 26-year-old is almost certain to leave on a free transfer at the end of the season, after seven seasons in Paris. He is PSG's all-time top scorer, with 244 goals in 292 games, far ahead of anyone else.

Coach Enrique is famous for his iron discipline, since his time at Barca. He once had a conflict with superstar Lionel Messi, and then put the Argentine player on the bench. At PSG, Enrique also repeatedly affirmed that he values discipline in the team, no exception, even for a star like Mbappe.

Enrique's decision on the evening of February 25th was partly correct, when Ramos himself scored the decisive goal to tie the score 1-1 for PSG in the last minute of injury time, from a penalty. Although not winning, PSG still maintained the top position in Ligue 1 with 11 points more than second-placed Brest. In the next match, they will be away at Monaco on the evening of March 1st.

Hoang An

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