Messi didn't get the respect he deserved in France: Mbappe

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) forward Kylian Mbappe has finally spoken about the treatment metted out to Lionel Messi during his two years tenure with the French club and said that he did not get the respect he deserved while in France, report agencies.
Speaking to Italian paper La Gazzetta dello Sport, the 24-year-old said, "We are talking about potentially the best player in the history of football. It's never good news when someone like Messi leaves. Personally, I don't understand why so many people were so relieved that he was gone."
"We are talking about Messi. He needs to be respected, and instead he didn't get the respect he deserved in France. It's a shame, but that's how it happened. We will have to do what we can to replace him," he added.
Messi, 35, guided Argentina to their third World Cup win last year, beating France in a thrilling final. But his stay at PSG ended on a somewhat bitter note - even though he helped the club win the French league.
Messi joined forces with Mbappe and Brazil's Neymar in 2021, with the club eyeing the UEFA Champions League. But PSG's elimination in the round of 16 for back-to-back seasons made matters worse.
Messi, a seven-time Ballon d'Or winner, was even booed by some PSG fans during his final days at PSG. An unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia amid speculations that Messi would join the Saudi Pro League led to his brief suspension at PSG - which later retracted the move.
Meanwhile, Mbappe has told PSG he will not take up the option of a one-year extension in his contract when it expires next June, according to reports, with the 2018 World Cup winner adding that the club had been notified of his decision last year. In a statement sent to news agency AFP on Tuesday, Mbappe said PSG "were informed on July 15, 2022" of his decision to not extend his contract, adding that "the only aim of the letter was to confirm what had already been spoken about previously".