Toxic tensions at PSG as fans turn on Messi and Neymar but stay loyal to Mbappe

By the third minute of Paris Saint-Germain’s 3-0 victory over Bordeaux at the Parc des Princes, most of the stadium were tuned into the soundtrack. If Messi or Neymar had the ball, there would be booing. If Kylian Mbappe set off on one of his runs, there would be cheers.

By the 52nd minute, it was clear to those present and the global television audience that a significant portion of the home crowd had the stamina to sustain this derision towards two players who represent, because of their status, how far PSG have underachieved in the competition that matters most - the Champions League. Days earlier, they had been knocked out thanks to a dramatic turnaround from 2-0 up with half an hour left of their tie against Real Madrid last week. PSG finished up 3-2 losers over the two legs.

Against Bordeaux, in the domestic league PSG are dominating, they might have scored 10 goals without erasing the memory of their meltdown in Madrid. Messi initiated the move that led to PSG’s second goal on Sunday, seven minutes into the second half.

There was a characteristic dart forward in which he was on the ball long enough for the booing to be drawn out, rising in volume. His measured through ball to Achraf Hakimi opened Bordeaux up, Neymar in comfortable space to jab Hakimi’s cross past goalkeeper Gaetan Poussin.

The noise at the point was a surreal blend of cheer and jeer. The goal was applauded. The scorer was booed, not by all the home fans, but by many of them.

Outside the Parc, meanwhile, were piles of confiscated toilet rolls, which some ticket-holders had brought to the game to hurl, as streamers with a protest message, onto the pitch. Security staff had been readied for that. There were some new banners unfurled in the