Mbappe v Neymar: PSG penalties suddenly becoming a man-management issue

When Christophe Galtier took over as the head coach of Paris Saint-Germain, he made a point of clarifying his robust rules. The emphasis was on teamwork ahead of ego, self-sacrifice ahead of indulgence. He delivered the message with authority. He knew it was what PSG supporters, tired of watching a superstar ensemble underachieve at the highest level, namely Europe, wanted to hear.

Galtier, who last month became the fourth man to take up the job in a little over four years, had good reason to believe some players needed to listen hard. It has been, over the past decade at PSG, to see individual ambition, a desire to be the brightest light in Paris as detrimental to the collective. Neymar has been booed by home fans in phases of his five seasons in Paris for a perceived lack of team discipline. Lionel Messi was jeered once or twice last season when his standards slipped below those he used to set at Barcelona. This time last year, Kylain Mbappe was being whistled from some sections of the Parc des Princes because his ambitions appeared set on a move to Real Madrid.

Galtier arrived with Mbappe freshly committed to a future at PSG, having signed a mould-breaking deal in terms of wages and explicit assurances that he, Mbappe, would be regarded as the figurehead star at a club urgently chasing its first European Cup and then several more. At 23, Mbappe should be part of that plan longer than Messi, 35, or Neymar, 30. But Galtier’s one-for-all, all-for-one message applied to every generation of star. His feedback was that he had been heard and understood.

During pre-season training, with his various international players returned from their summer breaks, Galtier and his staff also drew up their strategy for penalties. There