Christophe Galtier hailed Kylian Mbappe for his “magnificent” feat of becoming Paris Saint-Germain’s joint-record goalscorer in Sunday’s dominant 3-0 win at Marseille.
Mbappe scored a terrific volley to match Edinson Cavani’s tally of 200 goals for PSG as the Ligue 1 leaders went eight points clear of their old rivals with a crushing win at the Stade Velodrome.
Mbappe and fellow attacking star Lionel Messi had earlier put PSG in command by exchanging assists before the break, and they have now combined for 10 goals in Ligue 1 this term – more than any other duo.
Speaking to Amazon Prime Video after the win, Galtier said: “Mbappe is a player who has a sense of movement, who obviously goes very fast, he is technically fast too.
“He not only has the legs but an exceptional speed of execution. These are players of stats and records, he equalled this magnificent record of Cavani, and it is obvious that he will beat it.
“His presence is important to the team, it gives us other options in the game, especially with our depth and his presence in front of goal.”
PSG’s win was marred, however, by a serious injury suffered by defender Presnel Kimpembe – who went down under no contact 15 minutes in and was promptly carried from the field in tears.
“Kimpembe has unfortunately suffered a serious injury and will be out until the end of the season,” Galtier confirmed. “He has very bad pain in his Achilles tendon, we think it’s serious.”
Galtier was facing severe pressure ahead of Sunday’s fixture, with PSG seemingly facing a fight to retain their domestic title and needing to overturn a 1-0 deficit in their Champions League last-16 tie against Bayern Munich.
The sight of football advisor Luis Campos taking his place in the PSG dugout to bellow instructions during last week’s dramatic 4-3 win over Lille suggested all was not well at the Parc des Princes, but Galtier insists he enjoys a strong relationship with the club’s hierarchy.
“I have a direct relationship with my sports management, with Luis Campos and my president, who have always been present to support me because it is obviously a difficult period,” he said.
“The victory at the end of the match against Lille was important, it denoted a state of mind, the desire of the players to go after this victory until the end. Tonight, this team soothed the heart.”
