Kylian Mbappe is currently dominating the headlines after his recent fallout at PSG, but the French superstar has received some words of wisdom from one of the greatest players to have donned the Bleus' shirt: Thierry Henry.
The Arsenal icon was on CBS Sports for Tuesday's round of UEFA Champions League fixtures and was joined by fellow pundits Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards. The trio, as well as host Kate Abdo, had French journalist Julien Laurens on as a guest to discuss the recent Mbappe controversy.
Bombshell reports dropped on Tuesday revealing that the 23-year-old's relationship with PSG has completely broken and that the Ligue 1 sensation is ready to leave Paris as early as this January.
His frustration stems from several broken promises that were made during contract negotiations. Before signing a new deal with the Qatari-owned club, Mbappe was reportedly promised a number of things, such as the departure of Neymar and a change in the Frenchman's role.
As revealed by the player recently, Mbappe loves playing in a pivot where there is another striker he can partner, similar to the role he had alongside Olivier Giroud for the national team. However, under Galtier, Kylian continues to play down the middle and can find himself isolated.
And this news came out just as Les Parisiens were preparing for their UEFA Champions League showdown with Benfica, a crucial tie that could have secured them the no.1 spot in the group. Unfortunately, amid all this drama, that game ended in a 1-1 draw at the Parc des Princes.
However, Henry, who is Les Bleus' all-time leading goalscrer, was quick to remind Mbappe something: football is all about the team and not the individual. The 45-year-old revealed that he has been in similar situations before, namely at Barcelona and with the national team in which he wasn't playing in his preferred position. Nonetheless, the Premier League icon stressed the importance of adhering to the manager's demands.
"Isn't the true essence of a great player to be able to accommodate what the boss wants and to make others shine?" Henry asked.
"There's only one rule, the boss is asking you to do something, you do it for the good of the team."
— CBS Sports Golazo (@CBSSportsGolazo) October 11, 2022
"There's too much ego, too much power for a 24-year-old player."
Thierry Henry, @Carra23 & @LaurensJulien discuss Kylian Mbappé and reports that he wants to leave PSG. pic.twitter.com/2tVzg8fx4z
"Nobody likes being exposed to what they're not good at," the former striker later added.
"He doesn't like it, that's all. But there is something bigger than all the rest: the club. But did they make him feel that the club was the most important thing? Or did they make him feel more important than the club?"
"I will use my own story: I didn't like to play high and wide at Barcelona. I hated it. But I had to do it for the team.
"I didn't like that after a hundred caps and how many goals for France, I had to go and play on the left. I didn't hear anyone say: 'Oh, what a nice gesture', to play on the left for others who had fewer goals than me and fewer caps.
"In the end, there's only one rule: If the coach asks you to do something, you do it for the good of the team. And your team is winning! If your team was losing, I would have understood the argument."
It should be stressed that while Mbappe is ready to leave in January, PSG have no intentions of selling their superstar in the middle of the season. For obvious reasons, links to Real Madrid have returned but it remains unclear whether the Spanish giants will make a move for Kylian this winter.
