Presnel Kimpembe, the 30-year-old Qatar SC defender who came through the Paris Saint-Germain youth academy before playing professionally for them for many years until 2025, spoke to RMC Sport on Wednesday evening. He took the opportunity to share his thoughts on the criticism leveled at Kylian Mbappé, the 27-year-old Real Madrid and French national team striker whom he played alongside at PSG from 2017 to 2024. He also had a word for the trio he forms with Neymar and Lionel Messi.
Kimpembe: “I’ve always told him that.”
Does he handle media pressure well?
“He’s always been criticized in Paris too. That’s Kylian, he’s like that, he was trained for it. He grew up with it his whole life, so it’s not a surprise.”
Is he criticized for not defending enough?
“I always told him, he tired me out with that when he wasn’t running.”
Kimpembe: “You have to look on the bright side.”
Is he still a leader?
He’s already shown that, both at PSG and with the French national team. Even at Real Madrid, he’s capable of taking charge of the team and elevating it.
After that, the results at PSG, and especially in the Champions League, weren’t what we all dreamed of. You have to look on the bright side: Kylian is a truly great player, everyone knows that.”
Kimpembe: “In terms of egos, it was tough.”
The Mbappé, Neymar, and Messi trio?
Of course, now we’re going to say it couldn’t work because we didn’t manage to win a Champions League title with all three of them, even if it was a legendary team.
In terms of egos, it was tough. We need to be honest with ourselves, and even they say so. I’m very happy to have played with them. I’m very proud to have played with players of this caliber. If you had told me that 15 years ago, I wouldn’t have believed it.
Kimpembe can’t hide it: seeing Mbappé not defend is frustrating. It also creates extra fatigue for his teammates, as they have to compensate for the effort he’s not putting in. This lack of effort has also caused problems for Real Madrid since his arrival. It’s time for the striker to develop. Even if he scores many goals thanks to his qualities, which shouldn’t be underestimated, of course.
We also know the argument used to defend him: he’s conserving his energy for the attacking side. However, PSG has clearly demonstrated for the past two years that it’s possible to do both. It must be acknowledged, however, that he wasn’t the only one whose performances weren’t flawless, far from it. The trio with Messi and Neymar was a dream team, but it lacked balance. It’s a shame; there’s a feeling that Paris missed out on a combination that could have been historic.
Regrets are now limited, since a new era has begun and led Paris to the top of the Europa League. One could even argue that this star-studded failure pushed PSG towards its new philosophy. We won’t go so far as to thank Mbappé for his behavior, but the time for anger is well and truly over.
