I was a leader for PSG, says benched Mbappe

Kylian Mbappe described himself as a leader after helping Paris Saint-Germain to a win over Marseille despite starting the match on the bench.

The 19-year-old broke the deadlock three minutes after coming on in the second half at Stade Velodrome, before playing a part in Julian Draxler’s injury-time strike that secured a 2-0 win.

Mbappe was surprisingly left out of the starting line-up, which coach Thomas Tuchel later confirmed was a punishment following a breach of discipline, with the forward reportedly arriving late for the pre-game team talk along with Adrien Rabiot.

Having responded so emphatically, the France star admitted he feels like an important figure in the PSG squad and said there is a real determination “to go down in history”.

10 – Kylian Mbappé is now the top goalscorer in the top 5 leagues this season (10 goals). Playstation. @PSG_English pic.twitter.com/KVKCz8o5l6

— OptaJean (@OptaJean) October 28, 2018

“The team needed this win,” he told Canal+. “A great team relies on its leaders and they have to make a difference at key moments. I think I can take on that role and I did.

“We have to continue on the right path. Marseille showed they have a team that plays with the ball. They had several sequences of play where we were in trouble, so all credit to them.

“But we were able to be effective and we leave with the win. We are competitors. We want to go down in history. We mustn’t disregard any match.”

PSG’s win restored their eight-point lead at the top of Ligue 1, as they became the first team since Tottenham in 1960 to start a season in one of Europe’s top five leagues with 11 consecutive victories.