Clubs went from love to hate
It is irreconcilable. Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid were for a time close clubs, almost considered as brothers, but no more.
In the past, in fact, the Madrid club went so far as to deny several rumors about Neymar, which were considered unfounded and endangered a relationship that went beyond the strictly sporting.
On very few occasions in the last decade have Real Madrid done something similar, and all to maintain a relationship that is now broken. History has changed and PSG have now become the devil for Real Madrid.
It is true that in the play-off played in 2018, the behavior of the ultras during the night before the match and some events at the Parc des Princes began to distance the club hierarchies.
But the relationship has blown up since then and the presidents are very much at loggerheads.
There is no understanding and there is no sign of dialogue between Nasser Al Khelaifi and Florentino Perez. Public enemies and no disguising it.
Far from being what happened with Mbappe, the great point of conflict and estrangement is with the Superliga movement and the way Nasser Al Khelaifi has gotten close with UEFA counterpart Aleksander Ceferin.
The PSG president turned his back on what was being manufactured by the breakaway clubs and approached UEFA, occupying, in addition, the presidency of the European Club Association (ECA).
He took advantage of the move to acquire a notoriety among the leaders that he had not previously enjoyed, his loyalty well rewarded.
The ECA meetings are used as an opportunity to go on the attack and to to take digs at the three teams that are still in the Super League project.
Both at the Istanbul meeting last August and the one held a few days ago, Al-Khelaifi has questioned Juventus and Barcelona‘s economic policy and now he has even dared to question Real Madrid‘s identity in the top continental competition.
Florentino Perez strikes back
Florentino Perez did not even name him at the Assembly of Real Madrid directors. He referred to him as the president of the ECA and reminded him who Real Madrid was.
For Madridistas Al-Khelaifi himself, never mind PSG, has become the devil, the same one who shouted in the Bernabeu box, once he saw that his team failed again in the attempt to win the Champions League.
The one who went down to the dressing rooms trying to enter the referee’s room and making threats to various Real Madrid employees, an event that Los Blancos never officially denounced.
He has even dared to ask for UEFA sanctions against Barcelona’s economic policy, when PSG has already been investigated twice by UEFA itself for not having complied with the financial fair play.
Real Madrid, knowing that the situation has no way back, have renewed all the players it considers essential with a clause of 1 billion euros, in addition to shielding the jewels of the youth academy.
All that has been forgotten by the PSG president, who only keeps fresh in his memory the difficulties that Mbappe and Real Madrid put him through to get the French striker’s renewal.
He felt betrayed and his pride hurt, something he does not seem to want to forget.
The difference is that now the leaders of the Madrid entity are not going to shut up. They have nothing to lose.