The build-up to the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 semifinal has taken a fiery turn — not on the pitch, but in the press room.
In a bombshell statement that has set the football world ablaze, Paris Saint-Germain’s president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has broken his silence on Kylian Mbappé — and he didn’t hold back.
Speaking at a media event just two days before PSG’s high-voltage semifinal against Real Madrid, Al-Khelaifi unleashed a scathing attack on the former PSG star, now leading Madrid’s front line.
“We won the Champions League without him. We didn’t need him then, and we certainly don’t need him now,” Al-Khelaifi said in front of reporters. “A traitor like him will never touch that trophy — not in Paris, not in Madrid, not anywhere. Let him dream.”
The remarks come amid escalating tension between the two clubs. Mbappé’s departure from PSG in 2024 was one of the most controversial transfers in football history. After years of loyalty pledges, last-minute renewals, and astronomical wages, he eventually left on a free transfer to Real Madrid — a move many in Paris still view as a betrayal.
Now, less than a year later, the two clubs are set to face off in a Club World Cup semifinal — a showdown that could serve as poetic justice, depending on who comes out on top.
Mbappé, for his part, recently stirred controversy with his own inflammatory remarks, suggesting PSG’s Champions League title earlier this year was “lucky,” implying they only won because they didn’t have to face Real Madrid.
That comment did not sit well with PSG’s locker room — and clearly, not with its president either.
“Let him talk,” Al-Khelaifi continued. “We have the trophy. He has regret.”
PSG’s historic Champions League victory earlier this year — their first ever — came after years of heartbreak and near-misses. And the bitter irony? It happened just one season after Mbappé’s departure.
Social media exploded following the president’s statement. Fans from both camps engaged in heated debates, with many praising Al-Khelaifi for “finally saying what needed to be said,” while others accused him of being “obsessed” with Mbappé.
Real Madrid has not officially responded, though insiders suggest the comments have “fueled the fire” in the Madrid camp and could motivate Mbappé to silence the noise in the best way he knows: on the pitch.
As the countdown continues to the semifinal clash in New York, this is no longer just a battle for a trophy. It’s a war of pride, revenge, and unfinished business.
And whether Mbappé can prove the PSG president wrong — or fall silent under the weight of his own shadow — remains to be seen.
