France midfielder frozen out by PSG
Adrien Rabiot
E
ven a United Nations
team of peace brokers
would be hard pressed
to find a solution to
the Cold War stand-
off that currently pits
Paris Saint-Germain
against their French international
midfielder Adrien Rabiot.
The 23-year-old, whose PSG contract
expires at the end of the season, has not
made one first-team appearance since
December, was declared persona non
grata for announcing his intention to
leave on a Bosman free in the summer.
The PSG powers-that-be are adamant
that Rabiot and his agent – who just
happens to be his mother, Veronique- acted in bad faith throughout the
negotiations, that the pair were only
interested in running down the clock.
“A few months ago, we had positive
feedback from his entourage that he
wanted to re-sign,” declares PSG director
of sport Antero Henrique.
“We’d also accepted all his sporting
demands. Then, unfortunately, the talks
ground to a halt. For the player, there are
clear consequences. He will stay on the
bench for an indeterminate period.
“It seems he and his representative
misled us. The situation is disrespectful
for both club and fans, especially as he’s
a player who came through the academy
here. He’s someone who always had total
support from the club.”
Rabiot, a tremendously elegant left-
footer capable of operating anywhere
in the middle of the park, is equally
convinced that he has been badly
treated in all this. He maintains that his
permanent exclusion drives a coach andhorses through French football’s
“professional charter’” and he has the
backing of global players’ union FIFPro
and its Gallic equivalent, the UNFP.
“Is football about winning games
or making profit?” went the FIFProcommunique. “He has the right not to
sign a new contract with his club.”
A PSG first-teamer since 2012, Rabiot
can be a difficult character to understand.
Stubborn, and with more than a hint
of the diva about him, he frequently
grumbles to the media about being
played out of position in a holding
role, preferring a box-to-box brief. Last
autumn he was benched by PSG coach
Thomas Tuchel for arriving late for a
team meeting and he infamously turned
down a place on the French squad
standby list for last year’s World Cup.
According to Thiago Motta, a team-
mate at PSG, anyone hoping to bring
out the best in Rabiot has to be
psychologically astute. “It all depends
how you explain matters to him,” the
Italo-Brazilian told So Foot magazine.
“He’s not someone to whom you say
‘do this or else’. You can’t force him.
“He’ll play but will only be at 60 per
cent. To have him at 100 per cent he has
to be convinced that it’s the best for him
and the team.”
Hell will freeze over before Rabiot
plays another game for PSG as the
mutual animosity runs too deep, with a
large proportion of the Parc des Princes
fan base disliking his attitude. And he has
also become a convenient scapegoat.
Henrique attacked Rabiot for going to
a nightclub on the evening of the team’s
shock Champions League elimination at
the hands of Manchester United. But was
this not a classic case of deflection on
the club’s part? Was it not PSG’s decision
to freeze him out and leave him kicking
his heels for months?
Wherever he ends up next season – be
it the Premier League, La Liga or Serie A- he has a lot of career rebuilding to do
and a reputation to mend.
The banished Parisian prince can
afford no further messy controversy.
Nick Bidwell
Headliners
Not happy...PSG fans
display their anger“To have him at 100 per cent he has
to be convinced that it’s the best for
him and the team”
PSG’s Thiago Motta on RabiotExcluded...Rabiot
has not played for
PSG this year